Richmond Valley Council and Huskee to empower businesses to reduce waste generation

More than one billion disposable coffee cups are used nationwide each year, and Richmond Valley Council is partnering with Australian reusable cup maker Huskee to tackle the waste issue.

The Council Green Business Project, funded by the NSW EPA Waste Less, Recycle More initiative, will support up to 30 cafes and coffee service providers within the Richmond Valley Council local government area to implement HuskeeSwap, a reuse model that helps cafes transition to a waste-free service.

With single-use bans being implemented across Australia to help combat plastic waste, cafes and venues have two ways to tackle the issue: they could replace their existing disposable cups with a more expensive, potentially compostable alternative or encourage dine-in and implement a reusable option for takeaway that saves

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Huskee Partnership Manager Chad Buxton said COVID and the current fnancial environment have been tough on hospitality.

“It’s good to see reusables returning to cafes, and a swap system like ours really makes business sense,” Mr Buxton said.

“It provides additional revenue and signifcant savings for cafes doing it tough while saving the planet.”

Advantages of the HuskeeSwap system are:

• A simple opt-in system with no ongoing costs

• Easy to implement and designed to be easy on cafe workfows

• Customers can swap multiple sizes of HuskeeCup, the world’s frst coffee cup made from coffee husk, a vast waste by-product of the coffee industry.

• Customers don’t have to wash their cups or even remember to a pipedream, or simply the domain of hippies and fringe dwellers, not so anymore. And this is good news, for both consumers and the environment (in fact let’s call them nonconsumers!). bring them (if they use the app)

• Both cafes and customers can play a part in true impact, Through this initiative, Richmond Valley Council and Huskee are working together to reduce single-use cup waste while empowering local businesses with sustainable solutions.

This partnership is an important step forward in helping businesses move away from traditional methods of disposing of waste and transitioning towards more sustainable practices.

According to Richmond Valley Council Sustainable Communities and Environment Carla Dzendolet the initiative will help tackle some of our community’s barriers when remembering their reusable cup.

Ms Dzendolet said the cup exchange program allows for when people accidentally leave their dirty cup in the car or want to enjoy another coffee when out and

Now more than 30% of Australian homes have panels, a larger percentage per rooftop than any other country in the world, and soon the renewable energy feeding back into the Aussie energy grid will exceed about.

“Avoidance around single-use plastics is one of Council’s top waste reduction targets,” Ms Dzendolet said.

“By participating in the cup exchange program, we are avoiding singleuse, saving resources, and saving waste going into landfll.”

Huskee is an Australian company which designs functional products to utilise waste and recycled material and systems which enable the transition to a waste-free world.

Huskee is pleased to work with Richmond Valley Council, which comprises 36 towns and villages in the Northern Rivers region, New South Wales.

To register your interest in the Green Business Initiative, fll out the Expression of Interest here: https://forms.gle/ gQqgcxA5SFd9F8C47 that which is coming from coal.

For more information on HuskeeSwap, head to https://huskee.co/swap.

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Information about waste services and campaigns is on Council’s website.

More than 1200kgs of rubbish picked up in Byron Shire on Clean-Up Australia Day

Volunteers, school students, community groups and Council staff picked up more than 1,200kgs of rubbish across the Shire on the frst weekend in March as part of Clean-Up Australia Day.

At Byron Bay, 90 volunteers turned out to help Council and Positive Change for Marine Life tackle the Main Beach area.

“We had backpackers, families, Byron Bay Surf Club nippers, Byron Scouts, and so many people in the community, all picking up rubbish,” Zoe White, Resource Recovery Education and Compliance Offcer, said.

“We covered a stretch of one kilometre and in 45 minutes we collected 80kgs of waste.

“What was really interesting for volunteers was that this equated to more than 3,200 items, most of which was micro-litter,” she said.

This included:

1. 451 cigarette butts

2. 422 metal bottle caps

3. 306 drink containers next 10 gigawatt only took another 4 years and the subsequent 10 gigawatt is expected to take 3 years- we are on track for a full solar revolution!

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(including coffee cups)

4. 86 pieces of single use cutlery and straws more affordable and expandable.

5. 1,662 plastic items.

“Some people were very surprised at the amount of rubbish that was collected and I think it will prompt them to rethink getting that next takeaway coffee, or buying that plastic bottle of water,” Ms White said.

At Brunswick Heads 21 volunteers collected almost 900kg.

In Mullumbimby, volunteers collected seven wheelie bins of street litter and the Byron Bird Buddies removed an extra 80kg from along the Brunswick River.

“What a massive effort on behalf of the Byron Shire community – thank you to the 400-plus volunteers for caring for the environment,” Ms White said.

Staff will be looking at the data surrounding the cleanup and use this to develop proactive and targeted antilitter campaigns.

“Thanks again to everyone who took part in Clean Up Australia Day and people can fnd more tips to reduce waste at @byronbinfuencer,” Ms White said.

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HOW TO ‘NOT’ watch the ELECTION Results.

‘Mum Jane’ called me for a chat over tea & cake this morning. (It’s ‘Leemo Cat’ writing.) She told me to note that important things that will be happening in the next few weeks.

‘So, Leems, keep this in mind and act accordingly please, gottit?’ Hmmm!

(she’dreamin!) Haaah.. before she could start, I intervened by telling her to be quiet, ‘cos I had something to say. ‘Mum, it is patently clear to me that you FORGOT to acknowledge something notable on March 17th didn’t you?’ Being a rather witless older woman, she said ‘Oh Leems, do you mean St. Patrick’s Day? Well I did kinda remember. I wore my op-shop green army shorts, a green T-shirt, green sox, and had a green beer and green veges. with my dinner. In your view Leems, does that suffce?’ OMG, I don’t believe her disgraceful fippancy.

‘Mum, apart from St. Patrick’s Day, MARCH 17th acknowledges the passing of St. Gertrude of Nivelles’. She was born in the city of Nevilles in 626 and was canonized after she went to Heaven on March 17th aged only 33. (I so longed to yell at her, but instead spoke calmly.)

‘Mum, St Gertrude of Nevilles IS THE PATRON SAINT OF CATS. Gettit? I noted NO recognition of this amazing woman on March 17th in our house? No cat candles burning, no praying to St Gertrude. I noted only your appalling attire and your ghastly green beer. You were an embarrassment to St. Gertrude, (and myself). I am ashamed of you Mum.’ CRIKEY, observing her face, (which is, quite frankly, impossible to describe in any words I know) I deduced my comments obviously set her feeble mind into over-drive quite well!! Goodie!

After she had a ‘fakey’ faint, a bit of female meltdown & other dramatic stuff, she peered at me in ‘suckup’ mode & sniffed some words out. ‘Oooh, Leemo my precious, never in my wildest dreams would I wish to offend you. Please realise I am so busy that things do escape me, and I am truly sorry. What may I do to appease yourself and beloved St. Gertrude, pray tell me.’ (more sniffes, pathetic really for a grown woman!)

Yippee. I’m winning on this one. I went into a meditative ponder, lying with paws in air, chanting and tail a-swishing, knowing she would be anxious about my answer. I purposely took a while but fnally un-tranced and spoke to her. (oooh, this is so delicious!)

‘Well Mum, there are things that may assist your forgiveness. You are to say 1500 Hail Marys and 1500 Our Fathers, plus 100 prayers each to St. Jude and St Mary MacKillop, each night, starting at 6.30pm, for the next 2 weeks. You must say them OUT LOUD so I know you’re doing it. Gottit? Crikey, she did a proper faint this time. Oh, for Heaven’s sake..I waved a Vicks sniffer under her nose and she came to with a splutter.

‘Leems my beloved, I am most willing to acquiesce to your request, BUT NOT NEXT SATURDAY it’s NSW Election day and you know I so much want to watch it all day..pleease!’ I spoke seriously and told her ‘NUP..penance is penance Mum, you can’t just swap and change it, and that’s that!’ Whooohoo, this all kinda means I can watch BLUEY for hours and not be subjected to watching the poxy Election Results next Saturday.

(pretty cunning plan huh?) Nite with HUGE purrsies, Leemo