Plastic Free July Is Here: Time to Act on Those Love Lennox Pledges
On Saturday 13 June, the streets of Lennox Head came alive for the Love Lennox Festival. Among the market stalls and live music, the BES marquee buzzed all day with locals of every age talking rubbish, in the best possible way.
Here is how the day went, and the pledges that were made for Plastic Free July.
A board full of pledges
Our Plastic Free July pledge board asked one simple question: this July, I will...? By the end of the day it was covered corner to corner in handwritten pledges. Locals promised to swap cling wrap for beeswax wraps, switch to bamboo toothbrushes, carry keep cups and reusable water bottles, choose loose produce, pack plastic-free lunches, bake snacks instead of buying packaged ones, make their own cleaning products and run a household waste audit.
What struck our volunteers most was the range of people leaning in: kids adding pledges alongside their parents, teenagers comparing swap ideas, and plenty of residents who had never heard of BES before staying for a proper conversation about plastic waste in the Shire.
Everyone who added a pledge went into the draw to win one of three gift vouchers donated by generous local businesses, including Dr. Moose in Byron Bay. Thank you to our sponsors for backing the campaign.
Do you know your native animals?
For the younger festival-goers, we spread out a blanket of plush animals and asked a seemingly simple question: which of these are Australian natives? Echidnas, platypuses and quolls were sorted from rabbits, foxes and other introduced arrivals (including a mythical reindeer and unicorn), with some spirited debate along the way. It was a playful way into a serious topic: knowing what belongs in our local bushland is the first step to protecting it.
July is here: time to make your plastic free pledge real
If you added a pledge to the board, this is your friendly check-in: July is the month to make it happen. And if you missed the festival, it is not too late to join in. Start with one change and build from there:
Carry a cup and bottle - skip single-use coffee cups and bottled water
Refuse plastic bags - keep a tote in the car and a couple in your bag
Choose loose produce - buy unwrapped fruit and veg, and swap cling wrap for beeswax
Do a waste audit - have a look in your bin and decide which household waste you can cut first
None of these need to be perfect. A pledge kept imperfectly for 31 days beats a perfect intention that never leaves the board.
Small swaps, bigger picture
Household changes matter, and they add up to something larger. Following a successful BES campaign, Ballina Shire Council has voted to phase out single-use plastics across Council operations, with an implementation plan now being developed. Every reusable cup and unwrapped cucumber sends the same message to local businesses and decision-makers: this community wants less plastic. That is how a sticky note on a pledge board becomes policy.
Thank you to everyone who stopped by, pledged, played and chatted. We will see you at the next one.
Call to action
Ready to ditch the disposables? Make your Plastic Free July pledge at https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/
More resources:
Plastic Free July — 31 days of ideas — https://www.plasticfreejuly.org/
BES Plastic Free July campaign page — https://www.bes.org.au/campaign
Ballina Shire Council — Community Recycling Centre — https://www.ballina.nsw.gov.au/
Love Lennox Festival — https://www.lovelennox.com.au/
