HORSHAM cafe owners have said they are well on their way to eliminating single-use plastic after the Victorian Government announced an upcoming ban on certain plastic items.
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This comes after a Victorian Government crackdown on single-use plastic items, with a plan to phase out and ban the products entirely by 2023.
The Fig Tree Cafe owner Brad Koenig said he knows many cafes making the switch to biodegradable cutlery already.
"I know other places, and even we are to a certain extent, trying to get rid of their plastic containers," he said.
Mr Koenig said although he has considered changing, "The plastic knives and forks seem pretty convenient for us for our take-away."
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"I know there are other options, little wooden ones and things like that. I haven't worked out the pricing either, will the Victorian Government make the price of wooden cutlery cheaper?" he said.
Mr Koenig said changing from plastic to biodegradable was a cost he believed the government should cover.
"The government can make us change to wooden or bamboo knives and forks but can they make them cheaper?" he said.
"If they absorb some of the tax or whatever they can do to carry that cost."
Cheek Fox cafe owner Helen Harris said the move from plastics to biodegradable products cost the business money, as the sustainable option costed more.
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Ms Harris said Cheeky Fox cafe had already started moving towards using biodegradable cutlery and containers before the Victorian government announcement.
"I think it is pretty good. I think the world is going that way, to become more sustainable," she said.
"It is more expensive, definitely. I think that is the way the world is going and we have to do it. We have just got to suck it up and go with the flow, go with the rest of the world."
Energy, Environment and Climate Change Minister Lily D'Ambrosio said single-use plastic items like straws and cups made up a third of Victoria's litter.
The ban will not apply to medical or scientific equipment, emergency services, or other activities which require single-use plastics for health or safety reasons.
For more information, visit https://www.vic.gov.au/single-use-plastics.
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