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2026 LGAQ CONFERENCE MOTIONS & COUNCILLOR ATTENDANCE (Referred from the General Committee Meeting dated 7 July 2026 - Item 7.7) · Attachment 7 - Funding Queensland Councils to Pilot Opt-In Reusable Cup Programs
ATTACHMENT 7 2026 LGAQ Annual Conference – Proposed
Motion
Who is the key contact for Cr Amelia Lorentson
this motion?
(required)
Submitting council Noosa Council
(required)
Supporting ROC
(if applicable)
Council resolution # NA
(required)
Date of council resolution TBA
(required)
Does this motion have state-wide relevance?
Was this motion suggested by a third party? no
Title of motion (required) Funding Queensland Councils to Pilot Opt-In Reusable Cup
Programs
Motion That the LGAQ calls on the Queensland State Government to
(required) provide dedicated funding to Queensland local governments to
establish opt-in reusable cup pilot programs, modelled on the
Douglas Chooses to Reuse program in Port Douglas - funded by
the Queensland Government, delivered by the Boomerang
Alliance, and proven to work - with a view to scaling successful
pilots across Queensland communities.
What is the desired Queensland councils want to act on single-use cup waste but
outcome sought? currently lack a consistent framework or dedicated funding to do
(required) 200-word limit so. The Port Douglas pilot has demonstrated that a practical,
community-friendly opt-in reusable cup system works - that
people will use it, local businesses will support it, and
measurable reduction of waste to landfill is achievable. What is
now needed is a mechanism for other councils to replicate that
success without having to build a program from the ground up.
This motion asks the State Government to do what it has
already done in Port Douglas: invest in a practical, opt-in pilot,
back it with a clear operational framework, and let councils lead.
The result would be a scalable Queensland model for reusable
cup programs, grounded in evidence, driven by local
government, and supported by the State.
Background Australians use more than 1.6 billion single-use coffee cups
(required) 350-word limit every year. Despite their appearance, the vast majority are lined
with plastic. While many businesses have made the shift to offer
compostable cups, LGAs still lack the infrastructure required to
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segregate and treat this type of compostable material, meaning
that they still end up in landfill. Queensland councils manage the
consequences of this at a local level, through increased waste to
landfill and potential litter in waterways, on beaches, and in
parks, yet currently have no consistent state support or
framework to address it.
Noosa Shire Council has already acted. Following a rubbish
audit that found coffee cups made up 18 per cent of littered
items at Noosa Main Beach, Council voted to remove single-use
cups from its headquarters and launch a voluntary business
education program - believed to be the first such initiative by a
Queensland council. That approach, starting with Council’s own
operations and framed around education rather than
enforcement, demonstrates that meaningful change is
achievable and that local government can lead community
behaviour change.
The challenge is that individual councils acting alone can only go
so far. What is missing is the State Government investment that
would allow the Port Douglas model to be replicated: a funded
framework, a ready-made operational guide, and a grant stream
that makes participation accessible to councils of all sizes.
Case study/ Example The Douglas Chooses to Reuse program, launched in June
(optional) 350-word limit 2025 on Macrossan Street in Port Douglas, is the clearest proof
of concept available. Funded by the Queensland State
Government through the Department of Environment, Tourism,
Science and Innovation, and delivered by the Boomerang
Alliance under its national Plastic Free Places program, the
initiative provides customers at participating cafés with free
reusable cups they can borrow and return at any participating
venue or one of several drop pods located throughout the town.
There is no sign-up and no deposit required.
Within 12 months, the program had prevented more than 10,000
single-use cups and lids from entering landfill. The Boomerang
Alliance has explicitly described the Port Douglas program as a
model designed to be scaled across Queensland. Environment
and Tourism Minister Andrew Powell said the project “delivered
meaningful change in the community” and demonstrated that “a
reuse cup system can work.”
The program’s success was built on three elements that this
motion asks the State Government to replicate at scale: State
Government funding, a clear operational model delivered by an
experienced partner, and the opt-in participation of local
businesses and the community. These are not complex or costly
ingredients. They are exactly what other Queensland councils
need, and what this motion is asking the State Government to
provide.
June 26
Wilson Crawley
Used in these records
2026 LGAQ CONFERENCE MOTIONS & COUNCILLOR ATTENDANCE (Referred from the General Committee Meeting dated 7 July 2026 - Item 7.7) · Attachment 7 - Funding Queensland Councils to Pilot Opt-In Reusable Cup ProgramsAttachmentsMeeting 964 · read item & discussion ↗
2026 LGAQ CONFERENCE MOTIONS & COUNCILLOR ATTENDANCE · Attachment 7 - Funding Queensland Councils to Pilot Opt-In Reusable Cup ProgramsAttachmentsMeeting 953 · read item & discussion ↗
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