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Plastic Bag Ban, Cumberland Charter Yachts

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Queensland Government - Plastic Bag Ban

Plastic Shopping Bag Ban in Queensland 1:24pm, Wed 11 Jul 2018

On July 1, retailers in Queensland were banned by the state government from providing shoppers with single use lightweight plastic bags, in an effort to protect our marine and wildlife in sunny Queensland.

The problem with plastic bags is that they pollute the waterways and litter streets and parks, endanger marine and other wildlife, which can swallow and become entangled in them and costs millions of dollars each year in litter clean up costs.

If you choose to do your provisioningyourself, by click and collect or at the supermarket, please be aware that you will be charged a minimum of 15 cents for each heavy duty bag supplied to carry your groceries. Alternatively, if you have the choice of bringing your own re-usable bags from home, this will be a saving to you.

Eco-Accredited Company

Cumberland Charter Yachts are an Eco-accredited company certified by Ecotourism Australia, meaning we are an ecologically sustainable tourism company with a primary focus on inviting our guests to experience the natural area of the Whitsundays and Great Barrier Reef, fostering environmental understanding, appreciation and conservation.

We do our best to minimize any impact that we as a business may have on the environment and encourage our guests to adopt the same when chartering a bareboat in the Whitsundays.

Boomerang Bags - Borrow and bring back

For charterers who decide to do their own provisioning, we have a Boomerang Bag depot in our office. A collection of reusable shopping bags that you can use to do your shopping, and when you're done, return them to the Boomerang Bag depot for other charterers to use.

Responsible Reef Practices

On board each vessel and available for download on our website, is our Guide to Responsible Reef Practices; 8 ways that you, as a guest and visitor to the Whitsundays, can help minimize your interaction with the environment when on charter:

#1 Anchoring and Mooring
#2 Diving and Snorkeling
#3 Waste and Litter
#4 Around turtles
#5 Around Whales and Dolphins
#6 When visiting islands and beaches
#7 Bird Watching
#8 Fishing

Eco-Barge Clean Seas

Eco-barge Clean Seas is a not-for-profit environmental organisation in Airlie Beach, who engage the community to protect the marine life and aquatic environment of the Whitsunday region by removing marine debris to reduce its impacts, reduce land-based litter and littering behaviour to prevent occurrance of local marine debris and provide care for sick and injured marine turtles.

Cumberland Charter Yachts proudly support Eco-barge Clean Seas by sponsoring marine debris collection days around the Whitsunday islands, having staff recently volunteered on the collection day, picking up 245kg of debris!

What can you do to help?

1. Familiarise yourself with our Guide to Responsible Reef Practices before your charter and adopt best practices where you can
2. Bring re-usable heavy duty shopping bags from home if you are provisioning for your charter yourself or use the Boomerang Bags from our office
3. Pick up an Eco-Barge Clean Seas marine debris pick up bag from our office and take it with you on charter, collecting any rubbish you see and bring it back to the office. We will take it to the depot for inclusion in the debris count
4. Make a donation to Eco-barge Clean Seas