Riding wave to reduce single use plastic at the Newcastle Cup

Hunter Water has jumped on board to promote environmental awareness by helping to reduce the use of plastic during the World Surf League (WSL) event in Newcastle.

Visitors to the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup were encouraged to use our refill stations across the five days of competition, saving about 4,000 plastic bottles from ending up in landfill or littering our beaches and oceans in the process.

It follows the launch of the WSL’s ‘We Are One Ocean’ campaign, which calls for support to protect and conserve 30 per cent of the global ocean by 2030, in Los Angeles earlier this year.

Hunter Water’s Executive Manager of Customer Strategy and Retail, Victor Prasad, said reducing the amount of plastic at the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup tied in with our own sustainability goals.

“We are committed to integrating sustainability principles into the way we plan and operate our business so we can meet the needs of our community while preserving the quality of life for future generations.

“Our presence at the World Surf League event aimed to encourage everyone to make Smart Water Choices and help protect the environment.

“One of our local surfers, Philippa Anderson, has been heavily involved in spreading our water saving messages, so it was great to see her out there amongst the world’s best.

“It’s clear that our Smart Water Choices campaign and initiatives like our water bottle refill stations are having a really positive impact within the community,” Mr Prasad said.

Smart Water Choices, which replaced Level 1 water restrictions, include using a trigger nozzle on hand-held hoses, only watering before 10am and after 4pm, having four-minute showers, and sweeping hard surfaces instead of hosing.

Apart from the WSL event, Hunter Water’s ‘Thinking Globally, Acting Locally’ approach highlights our long-term commitment to the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals - an urgent call to arms by all countries in a bid to provide peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future.

One of the ways Hunter Water has made a difference is by reducing our landfill.

Over a 12-month period, the total waste buried in landfill from our head office and depots went from 169 to 148 tonnes - a 12 per cent decrease.

This is mostly attributed to our increased recycling efforts, with more than three tonnes of soft plastic being recycled across our head office and two of our depots in the past three years.