Call to be plastic-free

A new movement which challenges consumers to think twice before buying a good-to-go coffee or habitually reach for a plastic shopping bag, has taken off in Mangawhai.

July has become the official month to ‘choose to refuse’ and be plastic free, an initiative that began in Western Australia and has gone global to more than 130 countries.

The movement aims to raise awareness about plastic use, especially around single-use disposable items with the top four being coffee cups, straws, plastic bags and bottles.

Long-time holiday local and recent resident to Mangawhai, Kate Matheson is the local initiator in bringing the cause to the area.

After creating a ‘Plastic-free Mangawhai’ Facebook page she was surprised to see it had gained 60 followers in just under a week.

“There is a lot of energy from people keen to do something about bringing down Mangawhai’s plastic consumption,” she says.

“The overall aim is to try and provide other options so people do not use plastic items, things like boomerang shopping bags and ‘keep cups’.”

Two local businesses are already on board.

Molesworth Drive cafe and food market Fresh has ‘big plans’ to reduce plastic in their shop beginning with a pledge to donate 50 cents to environmental organisation ‘Our Seas Our Future’ every time a customer brings in their own reusable cup for a takeaway coffee.

Meanwhile Raw Milk Mangawhai on Bagnal Road has gone retro, bringing back swappable glass bottles to their store.

Matheson says she has also been contacted by a number of people who have an array of creative ideas.

“I’ve always been an outdoors person and appreciative of the environment but I’m not at all an expert in these things so what eventuates, how this journey unfolds, will be shaped mostly by the people who have joined and what they want to see happen,” she says.

“Are you with us?”

n For more details and/or to join the movement check out facebook.com/PlasticFreeMangawhai