Coles recently announced that it will no longer give out free plastic collectible toys to customers, in a welcome recognition of their impact on long term pollution and consumer concerns. The Boomerang Alliance praised Coles’ decision to end its plastic collectibles venture.
The Boomerang Alliance, an incorporated association and registered charity based in Sydney, is an alliance with various environmental groups that aims to help stem the waste of discarded resources polluting local communities.
“The PR people (initially) tried to justify this practice by claiming they can be recycled, but it was a weak argument as inevitably the vast majority of the toys are either littered or dumped in landfill – with their environmental impacts lasting centuries,” Boomerang Alliance director Jeff Angel said.
“It’s a good sign that Coles is having a root and branch review of its plastic practices, including no longer selling single use plastic tableware.
“Leadership is important, and we urge all retail and marketing companies to now switch away from plastic in their collectible wars. The claim an item may be ‘recyclable’ is a theoretical statement, but we know that in practice, only 13 per cent of plastic is actually recycled, after years of failed voluntary business promises.”
The Boomerang Alliance stands behind regulating the ban of single use pollutants and adopting compostable materials in their place.
“Single use plastic has become so ingrained in the marketplace that business, government and the community will need to keep up the pace on eliminating it, so we can stop the toxic tide of plastic pollution,” Angel said.
The Boomerang Alliance was founded in 2003 through an initial campaign for a container deposit system in Australia. Since then, the Alliance has grown from nine groups to comprise 54 non-government organisations (NGOs) across Australia. Each of the Boomerang Alliance’s allies has the right to its own policies and decides the level of support they give to each campaign.