• Home
  • Latest News
    • ReLeaf Lake Mac >
      • MAC tree trail
      • Tiny Forest
      • National Tree Day
    • Repair It Lake Mac
    • Plastic free Lake Mac >
      • Plastic Free Cafes
      • Plastic free Toronto
      • Ban the bag >
        • Bag Swap Stations
        • Champions
      • Green gifts
    • Waste to Art >
      • 2021 Exhibition Guide
    • Our Community Gardens
    • Renewal 2022
    • Sharing and training opportunities >
      • Celebrate 2022
      • Previous events >
        • Gathering Feb 2022
        • Circular economy gathering
        • Coal Ash update
        • 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
    • Newsletter
    • Decade of Sustainable Neighbourhoods
    • Superstars
    • School sustainability
    • Success Stories >
      • Citywide Clean Up
      • Lake Mac Awards 2020
    • Responsible Cat Care
    • Dog brochure
    • Coastal Wetlands Park
  • Local groups
    • Belmont Area
    • Cardiff Area >
      • Pollinator Project
      • Boomerang Bags Sewing Group
      • Past projects >
        • Bird Count BBQ
        • Waste-free Christmas
        • Instagram competition
        • Car Boot Sales
        • Beeswax wrap making
        • National Tree Day
        • 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
    • Dudley >
      • Dudley Community Garden
      • Dudley Mural
    • Five Bays >
      • Neighbourhood gathering
      • Pamper care project
      • Awaba State Conservation Area
    • Greater Charlestown >
      • Motherload screening
    • Morisset & Peninsula >
      • Eco articles
    • 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 >
      • Redhead Latest News
      • Redhead Village Newsletter
      • Redhead committee
      • Redhead community
      • Redhead Landcare
      • Redhead past events
    • 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 >
      • Sugar Valley
      • 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
    • Become a member >
      • Annual renewal
    • Strengthening Sustainable Neighbourhoods
    • Alliance Board >
      • Alliance Board Meetings
      • Alliance Meeting Minutes Archive
    • Alliance AGM
  • Resources
    • Volunteer induction
    • Year Planner
    • Governance
    • Planning and implementing
    • Community Gardens
    • Promoting your activities
    • Survey Results
    • SNAPs
  • Supporters
    • Business Supporters
  • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy
  Sustainable Neighbourhoods Lake Macquarie
Help local businesses switch to plastic free
How are your local shops going in the transition away from single use plastics?
Steve has recently completed an audit of Lake Macquarie cafes to determine their current use of single use plastic bags, coffee cups and plastic straws.
You can help encourage your local cafe. Ask what they currently do and if they have any plans to change. Congratulate those businesses who are making changes, and support those who are considering it. More enquiries sends a message about what customers want.
Some ideas you could suggest:
  • Train staff to stop automatically including a straw in drinks. Only provide a straw if someone asks for one. We recognise that plastic straws are an important tool for many people with a disability.
  • Offer a discount for customers who bring their own coffee cup. Responsible Cafes
  • Allow customers to bring their own container. Trashless Takeaway
  • Switch from single use plastic bags. Alternatives could be paper bags where necessary or boxes. Encourage customers to bring their own bags.
  • Offer to set up and monitor a bag swap station to help customers who forget to bring their shopping bags.
Picture
Please let us know if you'd like to add cafes, or update our listing.
Picture
Picture
Find out more about our work towards a plastic free Lake Mac
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.
Picture
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.

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.
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