One day, in the not-too-distant future, plastic drinking straws will be a thing of the past on the Mornington Peninsula.
And when that day comes, nobody will be happier than the Peninsula's outgoing Citizen of the Year, Josie Jones.
It's been a busy 12 months for the Rye resident, who helps run the Peninsula's Last Straw campaign.
Since becoming our Citizen of the Year, the anti-litter campaigns she is involved with have gained national attention, including television coverage and support from National Geographic and the University of Tasmania.
The Peninsula's Last Straw had its origins in a workshop run by the Mornington Peninsula Shire. The initial goal was to pilot the campaign in Dromana and it has now branched out to 11 towns.
"So far we have started in Sorrento, Dromana, Mt Martha, Blairgowrie and Rye,' Ms Jones said. "Due to funding from National Geographic, we will now be able to focus on the next phase: Portsea, Crib Point, Hastings, McCrae and Balnarring."
The idea behind the volunteer-driven campaign is simple: target one of the key signature litter items by persuading shop owners to swap plastic straws for paper. The paper straws are provided free-of-charge to traders for three months, thanks to funding from National Geographic and support from the Mornington Peninsula Shire.
"We ask stores to surrender their plastic straws and replace them with paper, which are only handed out if asked or in special circumstances," said Josie.
"The goal is to have half of all shops on the Peninsula switching to paper straws by the end of 2020."
Josie began her first anti-litter campaign shortly after moving to Rye in 2011. It was called the One Tonne Challenge and aimed to inspire residents to join her in collecting litter from the foreshore.
In the years since, she has launched several successful campaigns to inspire locals to reduce litter and tackle waste, including the Only Butt, aimed at reducing the number of cigarette butts that end up in our bays.
Being named Citizen of the Year has given her the advantage of a platform from which to engage the broader Peninsula community in her mission.
It has also led to her being named 2020 Victoria Local Hero, as part of the Australian of the Year Awards.
Her message to all Peninsula residents is simple: "immerse yourself in your community and volunteer," she said.
"Litter is something that can only be solved by the community as a whole, which includes the Shire, businesses and local residents."
"We all need to play a role so I urge everybody to do what they can and take action. As we raise the standard and fill in the gaps, we are seeing the positive results."
