Plastic Free Businesses

Let customers know that your business accepts BYO containers for take-away and other food goods. You can do this by placing a poster in your window, communicating with your customers via social media / website, or having the discussion with visitors to your store. Simply asking "would you like a disposable container, or did you bring your own?" will let people know that bringing their own containers is an option.

Providing alternatives in the workplace can support staff make easy switches away from single-use plastics.

Easy switches include providing large sauce bottles instead of singular packets or stocking your staff room with reusable mugs, cups and cutlery instead of using disposables. Some businesses might prefer to gift their staff a zero-waste lunch pack - such as a reusable coffee mug, water bottle and cutlery set - to use for their work lunches. 

Get outdoors together and clean up your local area. 

Build team relationships, invite your customer-base along, and do something great for the environment. It doesn't matter how big or small your team is, removing any amount of litter from the local environment has a big impact. 

If you're not sure on locations, reach out to enviro@hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au for some suggestions of local green spaces and beaches where your efforts can make a difference! 

Did you know that some businesses provide a small discount to customers who bring their own mug when ordering takeaway drinks? This usually applies to tea and coffee orders, but can extend to other drinks like milkshakes and juices.

Discounts can be less than a dollar, but will still provide incentive for customers to ditch the disposables. In turn, you're saving money on ordering disposable cups and lids, and building relationships with your customer-base. 

Some businesses may choose to do this for the duration of Plastic Free July, others implement this year-round! 

Does your business wrap things in plastic when they could be placed in paper instead? Do you package your goods in plastic bags when they could be sold loose? 

Taking time to identify which packaging items are not necessary, can decrease single-use plastic waste and save your business money. 

Example: A florist who usually wraps their bouquets in cellophane, paper with foiled patterns, and a polyester ribbon has decided to take the Plastic Free July challenge. They've switched to using recyclable paper and ribbons made from cotton or jute, decreasing the plastic waste that results from their product. 

While lightweight plastic bags have been banned from check-outs, it is still common to see heavier plastic shopping bags for purchase, as well as single-use plastic produce bags for loose food items. 

If your business provides either of these options, we encourage you to ask customers to BYO bags! You can ask customers directly if they've brought their own bag along, place signage in the window to let them know you're transitioning away from plastic bags, or even have reusable produce bags available for sale. Some businesses prefer to switch to paper bags rather than removing bags completely. Either way, eliminating plastic bags from your business is an easy way to greatly decrease your single-use plastic outputs!