News July 31, 2018

Yours & Owls festival goes plastic free and announces bush regeneration initiative

Former Assistant Editor

Wollongong’s Yours & Owls have announced that their 2018 festival is upping its green efforts and going plastic free.

Single-use plastic items such as water bottles, straws, cutlery, and takeaway food containers are getting the flick in favour of reusable, eco-friendly alternatives for the two-day event.

Y&O will be providing reusable cups and water bottles, and all cutlery and plates will be made from compostable materials and collected.

The move sees over 15,000 single-use items replaced, and will help divert 85-90% of waste from landfill.

Last year, Y&O partnered with Plastic Free Wollongong and Citizen Blue to tackle the plastic pollution problem head-on through developing sustainable, environmental strategies for the festival.

2017’s event saw the instalment of a container refund station, which received over 50,000 cans and over 25,000 cups.

Andy Gray from Plastic Free Wollongong says “The stance by Yours and Owls will set a benchmark for how festivals and events in the area can run successfully while minimising their impact on the local environment, it is something the entire community will celebrate.”

Not stopping at plastic-free, the festival is truly getting their hands dirty for mother nature, partnering with Wollongong City Council to regenerate and restore part of the nearby Puckey’s Estate during a day of tree planting and bush regeneration.

20 lucky punters will have a chance to get their hands on tickets to the sold-out festival during the clean-up, taking place on August 16.

“Seeing rubbish in and about the coastline is a reminder that unless we are conscious of what we do with our waste, our waterways and ocean life will deteriorate,” says festival director Balunn Jones.

“There are so many good people in the community that spend their weeks raising awareness of these issues.

“We are lucky enough to have a festival right next to the beach and want to do whatever we can to make sure we are contributing to making our town a better place for the future.”

Thanks to the hard yards put in by Wollongong BushCare, large weeds have already been removed, and Wollongong Botanical Gardens are donating the vegetation which will be re-planted, seeing 500 new native species introduced.

The Wollongong council will also provide the tools, so all you need to do is rock up on the day with your green thumbs.