Single use plastics such as straws, plastic shopping bags and plastic cutlery are now days found readily in the marine environment and regularly at beach clean-ups across the world. Not only do plastics pose a threat of entanglement to marine life, they also have the capacity to absorb toxins from the environment and then pass them onto organisms if they are later consumed.
It is estimated that Australian’s use 10,000,000 straws every day! Nearly all of them get used once…for around 5 minutes…before being thrown away…but they don’t go away…for a long, long time.
Straws like any plastic are durable, long-lived and can survive for longer than any human being on earth today. The Last Straw Australia is a campaign that started in 2015 to end the use of plastic straws in hospitality venues around Australia.
With support from the Tangaroa Blue Foundation, Wet Tropics Healthy Waterways, Cairns Regional Council, CAFNEC Marine Response team and The Last Straw Australia, the concept of the Last straw on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) was developed by Marine Biologist, Nicole Nash.
With the aim of her campaign being to remove all plastic straws off commercial vessels operating on the GBR. In turn reducing the chances of straws ending up directly in the ocean and limiting the consumption of single-use plastics in one of Australia’s most precious natural wonders, the GBR. The Last Straw and the Last Straw on the GBR aims to tackle the issue from both sides- encouraging consumers to use less plastic straws, and encouraging businesses to give out fewer straws through staff training and options for straw alternatives.
The campaign can be followed on Instagram @thelaststrawonthegbr and on Facebook. So far the campaign has had several boats register in both the Cairns and Port Douglas region, either registering to remain straw free or switching to be straw free, forever! Local businesses are encouraged to join the pledge with the incentive being to reduce company costs by not having to purchase straws, limit waste on board, contribute to a more sustainable community as well as educating visitors from all over the world on the problems plastics cause in our marine environment.
Don’t miss out on being part of making an entire world heritage waterway – The Great Barrier Reef -plastic straw free!
Registration is easy:
Simply go to the official website
– Download the pledge
– Sign
– Take a photo and email it to us.
– Display your complimentary straw free- educational sign – explaining why you don’t offer straws!
The rest is easy – remain straw free and you will remain on the ‘official straw free’ register and receive free promotional support from the campaign. But most importantly – YOU are helping reduce the consumption of plastic in the world and educating others.
Remember: Sip don’t suck
Do you own a bar or restaurant? Contact the Last Straw Australia directly to obtain some unique coasters
– For regular updates, news and progress of this campaign follow The Last Straw on the Great Barrier Reef on Facebook and on Instagram @thelaststrawonthegbr
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