• Home
  • Latest News
    • Plastic free Lake Mac >
      • Plastic Free Cafes
      • Cafes survey
      • Plastic free Toronto
      • Ban the bag >
        • Bag Swap Stations
        • Champions
      • Plastic free education
      • Green gifts
    • Waste to Art >
      • 2020 Exhibition Guide
      • 2019 Exhibition Guide
    • Superstars
    • Newsletter
    • School sustainability
    • Repair Cafe
    • Our Community Gardens
    • Citywide Clean Up
    • Success Stories >
      • Lake Mac Awards 2020
    • Connection Cards
    • Responsible Cat Care
    • Dog brochure
    • Coastal Wetlands Park
  • Local groups
    • Cardiff Area >
      • Boomerang Bags Sewing Workshop
      • Bird Count BBQ
      • Waste-free Christmas
      • Instagram competition
      • Car Boot Sales
      • Beeswax wrap making
      • National Tree Day
      • Past projects >
        • Twilight picnic in the park
        • Halloween @ Cardiff
        • Cardiff Cycleway Forum
        • Green coffee grounds
        • Boomerang Bags
        • Eco Angel Cardiff South
        • Wreath making
        • Compost bin making
        • Australia Day Award
        • Shortland Volunteer Award
        • Cardiff Landcare
        • CLEANas Presentation
        • Plant Swap
    • Caves Beach Swansea area >
      • School Art Competition >
        • CALMD Artworks
      • Eco Angel Clean Up
      • Coon Island Celebration
      • Sustainable Living Guide
      • Swansea heads
    • Cooranbong >
      • Our Projects >
        • Fire Ready
        • Birds presentations
        • Walk in the Park
      • Our vision
    • Dudley >
      • Nature Play
      • Be Prepared for Bushfire
      • Dudley Super Street Sale 2013
      • Dudley Mural
      • Engagement
      • Values Assets and a Vision
    • Five Bays >
      • Neighbourhood gathering
      • Pamper care project
      • Awaba State Conservation Area
    • Greater Charlestown >
      • Weeds workshop
      • Community history
      • Planting Party
      • Whitebridge clean up
      • Park celebration
      • Charlestown Talks
    • Morisset & Peninsula >
      • Our projects >
        • Eco articles
        • Wyee Neighbour Day
        • Papier mache
        • Wildlife in Morisset
        • Sustainability gatherings
        • Eco Health Expo 2015
        • EcoHealth Expo 2014
        • Graeme Stuart talk
        • Preserving Workshop May 2011
        • Sustainable House Tour Sept 2011
        • art2264@Morisset PCYC
      • Morisset & Peninsula SNAP
      • About Morisset and Peninsula
    • Pelican Area
    • Rathmines Area >
      • Beeswax wrap workshops
      • Acheivements
      • Kilaben Bay - Rathmines Pathway
      • Rathmines Master Plan
      • Wicking garden beds
      • Bag It Film
      • Rathmines Park Litter Project
      • Camping in park
      • Asbestos removal
      • Celebration 2017
    • Redhead >
      • Wetland Wonders
      • Bag Making Workshop
      • Biggest Morning Tea
      • ANZAC Memorial
      • April Storm Meeting
      • Surfest celebration
      • Renew Lambton Colliery
    • Toronto Area >
      • Projects >
        • Picnic in the park
        • Brighton Ave Footpath
        • Fire Retardant Garden
        • Community Garden
        • Tossers can be binners
      • Vision
    • Valentine >
      • Walking in Valentine
    • Warners Bay Area >
      • Indigenous connection
      • Winter Nature Play Adventure
      • Autumn Nature Play Adventure
    • West Wallsend District >
      • New projects
      • Holmesville garden
      • Landcare
      • Achievements >
        • Old Waste, New Art 2015
      • Old Waste New Art
      • News
      • Gallery
  • The Alliance
    • Strategic plan
    • Annual Report
    • Volunteer >
      • Waste to Art Coordinator
      • Photographers and videographers
      • Social media
      • Minutes secretary
      • Promotions team
      • Young Leaders
      • Marketing specialist
      • Living Smart Festival 2019
    • Sharing and training opportunities >
      • Gathering Feb 2021
      • Picnic and celebration
      • Virtual Catch Up
      • Empowerment workshop
      • Celebrate 2019
      • T-shirt Order
      • Cake and conversation June 2019
      • Celebrate 2018
      • Celebrate 2017
      • Celebrate 2016
      • Health and safety training
      • Recruiting young people
      • Recruiting volunteers
      • Tips and lessons
      • Grants and fundraising
      • Annual Show and Tell
      • Success session - May 2014
      • Online collaboration
    • Strengthening Sustainable Neighbourhoods
    • Governance and membership >
      • Annual renewal
    • Alliance Board
    • Alliance Board Meetings >
      • Alliance Meeting Minutes Archive
      • Alliance AGM
  • Resources
    • Year Planner
    • Governance
    • Planning and implementing >
      • Accessibility
    • Community Gardens
    • Promoting your activities
    • Developing a SNAP
    • Survey Results
    • SNAPs
  • Contact
    • About
    • Privacy
  • Supporters
  • Links
    • Getting Inspired
    • Managing a group
    • Community gardens
    • Funding
    • Energy water and waste
    • Biodiversity and ecosystems
    • Local organisations
    • NSW and National Organisations
    • Facilitating Change
  Sustainable Neighbourhoods Lake Macquarie
Ban the bag
Sustainable Neighbourhood groups identify waste and littering as major issues that they would like to address.

A major focus of our efforts in this area has been to support the national campaign for a ban on plastic bags, and continue to raise awareness and work towards solutions for plastic pollution issues in general.
Plastic bag free!
The Sustainable Neighbourhood Alliance has formulated a campaign strategy to focus on plastic bags.
The details of the strategy are available here:
proposal_and_background_paper.pdf
File Size: 106 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

Picture
Picture
What next?
  • Sharing resources.  We are a formal ally of the Boomerang Alliance, and work with them to coordinate our actions with the national network.
 
  • Advocacy.  We have made contact with local Members of Parliament to determine their current position and urge them to take action at a state and federal government level.
 
  • Engagement and education.  We are developing an educational display to demonstrate the impacts of plastic bags on our wildlife and environment, along with supporting materials and reusable bag giveaways.
 
  • Growing support for a ban on single-use plastic bags.  Read our news story.
 
  • Letters to Minister Speakman.  At the 2016 Living Smart Festival in September, we collected 300 letters to the Minister, urging him to take action now on plastic pollution.
Picture
How can you help?
  • Set up a Bag Swap Station. Help your local supermarkets become plastic bag free.

  • Lead by example.  Say 'No, thanks' to plastic shopping bags.  Remember to bring your reusable bags to the shops.  Leaving them near the front door or with your keys and keeping them in your car might help you remember.  Plastic Bag Free NSW has some great resources available, including a reminder to hang on your door.

  • Make your own reusable bags.  The Redhead Sustainable Neighbourhood held a workshop to help people make their own bags.  Your group could do something similar.

  • Help make Boomerang Bags. Boomerang Bags are sewn by the community from reclaimed fabric, and then distributed for use in the community.

  • Send a letter to Minister Upton.  You could use this letter template developed by the Boomerang Alliance.
 
  • Our friends at the 'Boomerang Alliance' have presented a petition to the NSW Parliament.
Picture
  • Start something.  Do you have an idea that could help educate or support our community to reduce consumption of single use plastics?  Boomerang Bags? Working with local retailers?  Holding a Plastic Bag Free Day?  Let us know and maybe we can help get it off the ground.
 
  • Plastic Free July.  This movement addresses more than just plastic bags.  Check out their facebook page for tips to achieve a plastic free lifestyle.
 
  • Clean Up.  Help clean up the plastic bags and other litter that have already made their way into our environment.  Your group could organise an Eco Angel Clean Up at a favourite local spot that is in need of some community love.
 
  • Check out our latest news for upcoming events and activities.
Picture

Picture
Sustainable Neighbourhoods Lake Macquarie
Our vision - Neighbourhoods that are empowered to live sustainably.
Our mission - Our work is to foster sustainable neighbourhoods and a healthy environment in Lake Macquarie
Our values - We are guided by our values of participation, inclusion, collaboration, empowerment and shared responsibility.

We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land and waters on which we live, work and play, the Awabakal People, and acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who now reside in this area. We pay our respect to Elders past and present, and future cultural knowledge holders.

The Lake Macquarie Sustainable Neighbourhood Alliance is registered as a not for profit incorporated association under NSW Fair Trading. Sustainable Neighbourhood activities are managed and governed by volunteers and financed through grants, collaboration and community fundraising.
Picture
Sustainable Neighbourhoods is an initiative of Lake Macquarie City Council.
www.lakemac.com.au
Picture
We are proud to be a Very Neighbourly Organisation and supporter of Neighbour Day.
www.neighbourday.org