By Margaret Maccoll
Noosa Today is going plastic free.
We have listened to our readers and joined the growing tide of businesses and organisations in Noosa who have committed to reducing pollution in our waterways, our ocean and on our land.
We have aligned ourselves in our plastic-free decision with Noosa Council, Tourism Noosa, the Boomerang Alliance pilot program Plastic Free Noosa, Surfrider Foundation and about 160 Noosa businesses and organisations that have committed to reducing their plastic use in a list that is growing weekly.
Each week our newspaper is read by more than 20,000 Noosa Shire residents. There are 12,800 readers who enjoy our printed newspaper and almost 5000 who connect through social media. About 2000 people read our publication online and about 600 receive digital subscriptions.
From next week Noosa Today will be moving away from distributing our newspaper in a plastic bag.
In addition to online access Noosa Today will be delivered in bulk drops for collection to 135 outlets across the Noosa Shire as well as being delivered directly to most main street businesses and industrial areas.
“Bulk delivery has been a successful delivery method of newsmedia since newspapers were invented,“ managing director of Star News Group (the parent group of Noosa Today) Paul Thomas said.
“Metros are primarily delivered through bulk delivery, as are regional paid papers. We have successful bulk delivery publications in other markets and there are many free bulk delivered newspapers in Queensland currently.“
Bulk delivery also overcomes the issue we have on a regular basis with papers getting wet when it rains.
“Last year we had significant wet days on delivery days and constantly received complaints from advertisers about wet papers,“ he said.
Mr Thomas said that, along with the change in distribution strategy, the new Noosa Today would adopt a stronger news focus, campaigning on issues important to readers and with a greater platform for debate.
“People want a media that offers informed debate, balance on issues, a publication that gives them a voice and stands up for their community on issues; campaigning on important changes or issues that improve the Noosa region,” Mr Thomas said. “Noosa Today will be doing that.”
Noosa Today is an independently owned family business with no political agendas.
It will continue to strive to set the news agenda, make the decision-makers accountable and shine a light the achievements, triumphs and concerns of the community.
In Noosa the pressure to remove plastic bags from our distribution has been gaining more and more momentum as has removing plastic from all aspects of our lives.
In 2017 a consortium of 47 environment groups nationwide chose Noosa as the pilot area in Queensland to test plastic-free living through a campaign by environmental group the Boomerang Alliance.
“The Noosa community generally has decided to remove plastic from their lives,“ Mr Thomas said.
“We receive weekly phone calls, emails and letters from residents about the plastic bag delivery and their concerns for the environment.
“Biodegradable bags are not an option. These bags still take a long time to decompose and can still do significant damage in the meantime down drains, in waterways and in the ocean amongst other things.“
Changing our delivery method is a huge step for a community newspaper but we believe this is what the Noosa community demands and we have already received community backing.
Tourism Noosa CEO Steve McPharlin:
“Congratulations to the team at Noosa Today for their leadership in seeking opportunities to reduce their environmental impact. This is another great example of one of our community partners taking their environmental responsibility seriously and looking at alternative ways to operate in sustainable ways.
Tourism Noosa is optimistic that other businesses will continue to strive to reduce their impact and follow the positive example set by the Team at Noosa Today.“
Deputy Mayor Frank Wilkie:
“I applaud Noosa Today’s leadership and community spirit by taking the initiative to reduce their impact on the environment. Nearly 90 per cent of debris in our oceans is plastic, so this measure is a significant step forward and a tangible example of how a local business can recognize the far-reaching impact plastic has on marine life and ecosystems. Super effort.”
Plastic Free Noosa coordinator Chad Buxton:
“This is extremely exciting news and a huge result for Noosa Today. Through this action and changes to their distribution, they will be saving 600,000 plastic bags annually from being used.
Single-use bags on papers distributed to houses is the single largest complaint we receive from the community. For those trying to reduce their impact, getting these papers wrapped on their doorstep made them feel powerless with no clear way to opt-out.
Plastic Free Noosa always advocates reducing our impact over disposable; and Noosa Today has done just that. They have simply eliminated a single use item they felt they no longer needed and have listened to community concerns.
Chad described the action by Noosa Today together with other locals, tourists and businesses as both “exciting“ and inspiring, showing what we can do when we work together.
“We hope that more newspaper groups follow their lead nationally and internationally on this important issue,” he said.
“We are excited to see Noosa Today embrace these changes to a more modern and reduced impact distribution model that will make a huge impact. We are sure it will be noticed and appreciated by the community.”
The alarming findings of scientific studies reveal the effects on the environment and wildlife of the burden of plastic pollution which has also fuelled our decision to change our mode of delivery.
A recent study by CSIRO surveyed rubbish at 100km intervals around the Australian coastline and found three-quarters of it was plastic, as was most floating debris.The study found the density of plastic ranges from a few thousand pieces of plastic per square kilometre to more than 40,000 pieces of plastic per square kilometre. Globally about one third of marine turtles and nearly half of seabird species have likely ingested debris, the study found. CSIRO predicts plastic ingestion by seabirds may reach 95 per cent by 2050.
Working together the Noosa community is already making an enormous dent in its use of plastic.
The latest figures released by Plastic Free Noosa reveal that at the end of March the amount of plastic saved is 2.7 million pieces. That’s the number of pieces of plastic that would have been used by businesses and organisations had they not decided to switch away from plastic.
And only last month Tourism Noosa announced their partnership with Plastic Free Noosa in order to boost efforts to help local restaurants, cafes, markets and events switch away from single-use plastic products as part of its increasing focus on elevating sustainability as a priority within the tourism industry in Noosa.
Tourism Noosa’s Environment and Sustainability manager Juanita Bloomfield hopes the combined efforts of the plastic free initiative will help close the gap in Noosa between almost 80 per cent of Australian tourists who say they want to travel sustainably and less than 50 per cent who manage to do it.
The get Noosa Today delivered directly to your inbox with a free subscription visit www.noosatoday.com.au/digital-editions/ and look inside today’s paper for bulk drop locations.
