Plastic Free July

A single-use plastics ban was introduced in Victoria on Wednesday 1 February 2023 to help reduce plastic waste and contamination at recycling facilities. 

The ban applies to single-use plastic drink straws, drink stirrers, cutlery, plates, cotton bud sticks and expanded polystyrene food ware and cups.

Schools have already been making big changes, with Naranga School in Frankston offering a great example of involving students in recycling and reducing plastic waste.

Read more about their journey below and learn how you can help to further reduce your own school plastic waste by getting involved in Plastic Free July.

Plastic Free July

Plastic Free July is a global movement that encourages people to be part of the solution to plastic pollution.

The initiative highlights how making a small change to reduce plastic can collectively make a big difference.

To get involved in Plastic Free July, you and your students can:

• check out the Plastic Free July webpage, which includes ideas for reducing plastic waste at school
• register for the schools’ challenge to access useful resources, activities, stories and ideas on reducing plastic waste
• use resources, including posters, to promote the initiative in your school community.

Introducing Plastic Free July to your students

If your school has a sustainability committee or environmental club, this can be a great place to introduce the idea of Plastic Free July – Schools’ challenge to like-minded individuals.

Students are often keen to make a difference and willing to make small changes if they can see the bigger purpose and feel part of an important movement.

Activities that could make a difference include:

• approaching the canteen to reduce plastic 
• helping a school event to go plastic free
• reviewing the stationery list and suggesting plastic-free alternatives
• reviewing the school procurement policy and adding in plastic-free requirements.

Schools are also a great place to inspire broader change. Many students and teachers start to adopt plastic-free practices in their everyday lives, too.

Sustainable school case study

As part of Sustainability Victoria’s ResourceSmart Schools program, one of Naranga School’s goals is to eliminate plastic wrap and waste.

Students there are involved in collecting bread tags, plastic items, food scraps, paper recycling, the Lids 4 Kids program and a biodiversity audit.

Instead of using plastic containers and wrap in the school’s kitchen, the school has purchased reusable containers for use at mealtimes.

They also had a Clean-up Naranga Day, where students collected rubbish from the yard, and recorded the different kinds of rubbish they collected using video modelling and graphics to present their findings.

Naranga School’s actions towards a more sustainable future are regularly celebrated in their online newsletter for the school community to follow.

Find out more

For more information, refer to:

• Single-use plastics ban - fact sheet
• Sustainability Victoria – single-use plastics ban.
• Single-Use Plastics Ban Policy.

For further enquiries, email our Environmental Sustainability team by email: sustainability@education.vic.gov.au