Coogee has been named as the sixth most sustainable suburb in Sydney, in terms of environmental concern based on the latest insights of Research Data Alliance (RDA).
Read: Wylie’s Baths in Coogee Now Solar-Powered!
As one of its commitments towards sustainability, the suburb will be taking part in the implementation of the NSW-wide ban on single-use plastic items, starting Wednesday, 1 June 2022.
The single-use plastic items that will be banned in NSW include:
- Lightweight plastic bags (From June 2022)
From November 2022:
- Single-use plastic straws, stirrers and cutlery
- Single-use plastic bowls and plates
- Expanded polystyrene food service items
- Single-use plastic cotton buds and microbeads in certain personal care products
Based on the Plastics and Circular Economy Act 2021, businesses will no longer be able to supply these items and customers will no longer be able to receive them, including when buying takeaway food.
The legislation was developed based on input from over 16,000 individuals, with around 98 per cent supporting the phase-out of single-use plastics.
Plastic packaging and single-use plastic items make up 60 per cent of all litter in NSW. According to the State Government, these bans will prevent nearly 2.7 billion plastic items from entering the coastal, marine and bushland environments of NSW over the next 20 years.
Consumers are being encouraged to use alternatives, such as a reusable shopping bag when going out or a paper bag instead of lightweight plastic bags and wooden cutlery instead of the plastic ones.
Meanwhile, RDA’s Human Motivations and Sustainability Survey suggests that there are three different approaches to sustainability–environmental concern, sustainable purchases, and sustainability actions.
Environmental concern is the belief that climate change is the most important threat we face today and that protecting the environment is more important than creating jobs.
The top five suburbs on the list are Bondi Beach, Bondi, North Bondi, Forest Lodge, and Clovelly.
The RDA Research highlighted that this feeling is tied to having “Most Environmentally Friendly” as a key buying driver and these individuals are prepared to pay extra for products that don’t harm the environment.
