Most people think of plastic straws when you get a fancy cocktail, a milkshake or perhaps the classic frozen ‘slushie’. But once you delve into the world of straws, you soon realise there are more options used than you’d ever imagine.
Boats, cafes, restaurants, nightclubs, coffee vans, information centres, resorts, motels, gyms and bars are the various sectors taking action and reducing plastic waste in their venue(s). From the tip of The Cape York Peninsula and as far south as Bundaberg, 355 venues (Last Straw on the GBR) have gone plastic straw free around the Great Barrier Reef.
Vessels are leading the race at reducing plastics across the Great Barrier Reef, with 185 vessels officially registered as being plastic straw free with The Last Straw on the GBR. Not only are venues tackling the often automatically plastic straw put in beverages, they are also eliminating the straws people often don’t think about: poppers.
Commonly referred to as the ‘juice box’ in Victoria or a ‘popper’ in many other Aussie states, these straws make up a large portion of straws that we often don’t think twice about. Milk, ice coffee, juice and milk are often consumed in this style of beverage container. School lunch boxes are also a frequent culprit for having a ‘popper’ in them. Several venues have eliminated poppers and have opted for 1) Bulk juice – served in reusable cups 2) glass bottles of juice 3) plastic juice bottles with a lid.
Venues are reminded that it is Free to join The Last Straw on the Great Barrier Reef and all they need to do is simply fill out a form at http://www.thelaststrawonthegbr.org .
