opportunities to bring about positive regional economic development outcomes through sustainable resource use .
Plastic , while a very useful product with many benefits in its own right , has become a huge problem for our environment because of the way we deal with it and dispose of it . Global studies have shown that 95 % of all plastic packaging is used once and then discarded , often as litter , with huge ( and avoidable ) adverse environmental impacts . Researchers , including the CSIRO ( 2014 ) and others , estimate that if this trend continues there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean ( by weight ) by 2050 . A more recent study by the CSIRO ( 2020 ) estimates there is 14 million tonnes of plastic on the ocean floor .
Governments throughout Australia are aware of the perils of plastic . In Queensland and in other states and territories , governments have been introducing container deposit schemes and plastic bag bans , which are effective ( top down ) steps to addressing the problem . To complement and capitalise on this approach , the Plastic Free Places Program , by addressing problematic single-use plastics like coffee cups , water bottles , straws and takeaway containers , takes a community-based bottom-up approach to reducing waste .
The Plastic Free Places program contributes to regional economic development through the environmental cost savings it generates , and through the opportunities it presents for industry adaptation and the creation of new highvalue economic activities in a circular economy .
Simply put , a circular economy replaces the typical production and consumption cycle we are familiar with - of make , use and dispose of ‘ things ’ - in favour of one defined by as much reduction , re-use and recycling as possible . The longer materials and resources are in use in our economy , the more value is extracted from them . So , over the long-term , there are efficiency gains in the economy . Within this context the term ‘ new plastics economy ’ is coined , as shown in Figure 1 .
The ‘ new plastics ’ economy has three main elements :
1 . Create an effective after-use plastics economy ( e . g . recycle / re-use / compost );
2 . Reduce leakage into natural systems ( land and marine ) and other externalities ( e . g . greenhouse gas emissions ); and 3 . Decouple plastics from fossil feedstocks ( e . g . move to plant-based sources ).
This framework provides the context for a grass roots approach to dealing with the plastics threat .
PLASTIC FREE PLACES – A POSITIVE GRASS ROOTS INTERVENTION The economic assessment of the Plastic Free Noosa program was informed by a cost-benefit analysis and an assessment of the program ’ s estimated regional economic impacts .
Cost-benefit analysis ( CBA ) is a technique used to identify the net benefits of a proposal relative to a ‘ base case ’ or ‘ business as usual ’. The technique considers aggregate societal costs and benefits , with all costs and benefits expressed in dollar terms over an extended period . In undertaking the assessment of the Plastic Free Noosa program , data was sourced from direct correspondence with selected café proprietors in Noosa , wholesalers and distributors , Noosa Council , Tourism Noosa and Boomerang Alliance , together with published information .
The base case that was adopted was an ‘ average ’ café using ‘ all plastics ’ in relation to the following items :
Figure 1 . The ‘ New Plastics ’ Economy
Source : Ellen Macarthur Foundation ( 2017 ), The New Plastics Economy : Rethinking the Future of Plastics and Catalysing Action
VOL 13 NO 2 2020 40 www . edaustralia . com . au