Page 1738 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 15 May 2019
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Amendment agreed to.
MS LAWDER (Brindabella) (4.17): I would like to thank Ms Orr for bringing forward this motion today. It is an issue that affects a lot of Canberrans because we do love our coffee; we are big consumers of coffee. That can mean a lot of plastic, cardboard and associated waste.
Canberrans are already quite good recyclers. We do need to commend them for that. They are doing what they can to reduce the amount of waste that we produce. Using re-usable cups is a good way of reducing waste. It is a good initiative. The best way of reducing waste is not to produce waste in the first place. That is why re-usable plastic cups are a good alternative. What we have not talked about yet is that the lids are plastic. In the Freiberg example they are recyclable. I am not sure if that is the case here in the ACT. So there may still be an amount of waste being produced.
However, on this side of the chamber we very strongly believe in consumer choice. Consumers have the right to choose what they do, how they consume their coffee and what they consume their coffee in. We also believe that businesses have the right to choose. Small business owners especially have put up their own money, time, blood, sweat and tears to have their own small business. The government should offer them some trust and respect that they are doing the best they possibly can in the circumstances, and that they will do the best for their business, their family and their customers. The government could actually get out of the way and leave them to get on with what they do best, rather than bringing in increasing controls which make their lives more difficult.
This is a proposal for a trial, or a pilot, which is a good thing, rather than a change to legislation or regulation. In that regard I think is it a worthwhile thought. But let us not forget here also that it is already happening without government intervention in any way. Frankies at Forde is a good example. They have done it because it is their business ethos. Their customers like it, not because they are being told by someone else.
Mimi’s Pit Stop in Tuggeranong, on Lake Tuggeranong near the Learn to Ride park, is another example. The lady who runs Mimi’s Pit Stop offers re-usable cups to people. Consumers have the choice of whether they want re-usable cups, which are really popular amongst customers, or whether they will go with a paper cup. Vicki takes them home, sterilises them and brings them back the next day for customers.
We believe that businesses, especially small businesses, and consumers can make their own informed decisions. That is what the best result is. That is not to say in any way that there is not merit in re-usable coffee cups. That is not what I am arguing here at all.
I would like to see that local businesses can make that decision for themselves, whether they assess the viability of going with re-usable cups or not, based on their own circumstances. For example, are they set up to wash large numbers of re-usable cups? Some coffee shops are very small facilities that may not have that ability. There
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