on 21/07/2025
written by Jo Hendrix, KESAB
Lots of people know this month as Plastic Free July, but why?
Plastic Free July began 15 years ago in WA and is now an international movement to encourage us to reduce ‘Single Use Plastic’.
Compostwares, including PLA lid
Why do we need it?
Plastics have historically been fossil fuel based (a limited resource) and have only been in widespread daily use for around 50 years or so, but plastics last a very, very long time. This means plastics are useful for items designed to last a long time like school chairs, desks, storage containers but are not so good for items that might only be in use for months, weeks or days like snack packets and lots of food packaging. Often these single use items are small or lightweight and become litter items causing problems in the environment.
In SA, Single Use Plastic bans (https://www.replacethewaste.sa.gov.au/) began in 2021 to move away from fossil fuel based plastics and towards items made from plant based products that can be composted and become part of the circular economy (rather than being sent to landfill). Most items in school canteens (and cafes and at events) are now made from plant based products ( cardboard and fibre) or plant based plastics – look for the logo or tiny letters that say PLA ( polylactic acid – a plant based polymer, underneath a number 7 in the Plastics Identification mobius on lids of drink cups).
It is important to have collection systems at your school and events to capture ‘compostwares’ so they can make compost to grow more food! KESAB can support sites with bin assessments and recommendations.
A Wipe Out Waste school bin materials audit, the green circle shows how much material can be composted compared to the small red circled bags for landfill. This site now separates and collects compostables!
Another less visible area of plastic use is clothing and textiles, where polyester contributes to microplastic issues. Exploring alternative uniform options with natural fibres like hemp and cotton is another way to move beyond the plastic horizon.
Hats and schools polos from a local Adelaide provider of alternative uniform options
SA is leading the move away from Single Use Plastics and we have great commercial composters, so lets collect all the compostable materials to help them create compost for great food and jobs for our future.
Links below include educator resources and SA providers of plant based alternatives:
https://www.wow.sa.gov.au/resources/single-use-plastics
https://www.plasticfreesa.org/
https://www.hempclothingaustralia.com/pages/hemp-school-uniforms?_pos=1&_sid=cbabf73b7&_ss=r
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