Takeaway coffee cups seemed like one of the biggest challenges for the City of Canning chief executive Arthur Kyron after taking on a challenge to collect single use plastic for two weeks.
The CEO Plastic Challenge was developed by a Canning staff member and Mr Kyron said he was delighted to get on board with this out-of-the-box initiative.
“As far as we know it is the first time a local government leader has undertaken a challenge like this but we’re hoping many more will embrace it and spread the message as far as possible,” he said.
The two-week challenge saw Mr Kyron collect single use plastic used throughout his day which then had to be placed into a transparent backpack to be worn at all times.
“It has been a very interesting and reflective challenge so far,” he said.
“I had considered myself to be fairly good when it came to using plastics but I’ve been surprised at how much I have generated.
“The biggest culprit for me has been takeaway coffee cups as I buy a coffee every morning.”
During week two (this week) Mr Kyron was required to actively limit the amount of items he was collecting.
“It would be simple for me to replace coffee takeaway cups with a reusable cup so I will definitely be changing my habits in week two,” he said.
Mr Kyron said he had a fun time walking down Hay Street on his way to a meeting in the CBD.
“When I’m out at meetings, business functions or in the street it is a great conversation starter and gets everyone thinking about their daily recycling and plastic usage habits,” he said.
Mr Kyron’s journey has been monitored through a series of vlogs on the city’s social media platforms and he has nominated the City of Armadale chief executive Joanne Abbiss to take on the challenge next.
“We have put the call out to a number of leaders in local government as well as the business community and a number have responded positively so I am looking forward to seeing their progress online and hearing their pledges as to how they’ll make changes to their own behaviour going forward,” he said.
