By Derek Schlennstedt
People and groups in the Yarra Ranges are holding nothing back when it comes to the war on waste, especially when it comes to single-use plastic bag.
For the past four years, Healesville, Warburton and the Dandenong ranges have joined in an united front to ridding the Yarra Ranges of single-use plastic bags.
Each town has formed a plastic bag free group, which at this year’s Yarra Ranges Council Australia awards received the Community Group of the Year award.
Inspired by similar projects in Warburton and Healesville, the Plastic Bag Free Dandenong Ranges group began in May 2016 to reduce the number of single-use plastics used by traders and resident in the Dandenongs.
From its first small community meeting of about 30 people it has since grown in numbers and in passion, and since its inception has created over 1400 reusable boomerang bags.
“We were just a group of us who are very involved and keen about looking after the forests and waterways of the Dandenong ranges,” said group member Vicky Boyle.
“We were very concerned about platypus numbers and the litter problem so we called a public meeting in Belgrave library … following that we asked council to see if they could be make all the shire facilities plastic bag free which hasn’t happened unfortunately, but we’ve been busy sewing bags ever since.”
Each Thursday the group gathers at Kallista Community House to sew the bags, which are made from entirely recyclable materials.
Regular sewathons help to increase their visibility in the community and attract new members.
From those small beginnings three years ago, their boomerang Bags have since exploded across the Dandenongs and can now be found all over the hills including, Upwey IGA, Belgrave Book Barn, Selby General Store, Kallista General Store, Sushi Express, Unwrapped Pantry and more.
Ms Boyle said the bags were extremely popular and that often the group could ‘keep up with the demand ‘.
She said the group was thrilled with the award and that it was lovely to be recognised.
Unfortunately the duty of keeping the Dandenongs pristine is a full-time job and on the day of the awards (26 January) the Plastic Bag Free Dandenong Ranges group could not attend as they busy sewing at the Belgrave Survival day event.
“It’s lovely because we are a little bit invisible – a lot of us sew at home or the Kallista Community House but as soon as we make the bags they go, we just can’t keep up with them,” Ms Boyle said.
“It is nice that someone’s noticing.”
