Coming out, all guns blazing, Craig Reucassel from The Chaser waged a war on waste with his eye-opening documentary series on ABC recently.
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In case you missed it, the three-part series culminated with a exposé of sorts condemning the wasteful aftershocks caused from keeping up with trends in fashion and the non-recyclable take-away cups left behind after we gulp down our daily caffeine fix.
On the battlefront, Mr Reucassel’s doco explored a few strategies to combat the tonnes-upon-tonnes of waste made from discarded clothing, including trading clothes with your trendy friends.
But the coffee-cup campaign directed its force at a different perpetrator, the belligerent barista.
The offensive called on cafe owners to offer discounts to customers who came armed with a reusable cup.
While it is a fair incentive for the consumer, it comes with collateral damage caused to the vendor.
Sustainability is no longer a code-word for being a ‘greenie’.
Negative connotations have been slowly washed away as more and more people and organisations show a bit more conscience about their output.
Tamworth Regional Council seems like it’s now in a hurry to roll out a number of sustainable pushes.
Capturing methane from the tip for potential power generation, powering sewerage pump stations and Ray Walsh House with solar power, and establishing an organic recycling facility are just a few of the main projects undertaken by council in the last 12 months alone.
All of these projects coming with a cost.
While the pressure to be more sustainable heats up, it shouldn’t come at a cost to our hospitality industry.
The industry paying for you to be more sustainable and validating your social conscience seems unnecessary.
If you care for your environment and want to leave behind less waste, just do it.
Don’t wait for someone to discount your coffee and pat you on the back.
Buy yourself a reusable mug and be the change you want to see.
There’s no need to wait for your barista to give you some more change.
Small business is a tough enough game already which doesn’t need the financial responsibility of making you feel more responsible.