A local campaign being developed for local businesses to champion reusable takeaway coffee cups is in full swing.

Indigo Regen and Indigo Shire Council have joined forces to work on ‘Keep Up the Keep Cup Campaign’.

The move adds to this month’s Plastic-free July – a global movement sparked in Western Australia nine years ago.

Indigo Regen’s Lesley Milne said statistics indicate Australians dispose of 1.84 billion takeaway coffee cups every year.

“Takeaway coffee cups are the most common single-use plastic item in the world,” she said.

“Paper-based disposable coffee cups lined with plastic are rarely recyclable causing thousands of tonnes of waste in landfill annually.

“The cups then break up into microplastics which are harmful pollutants to our health and the health of our environment and wildlife.

"Compostable coffee cups cannot be composted in Indigo Shire’s waste management system and go into landfill."

Posh Plonk in Chiltern, Beechworth Bakery and Yackandandah’s Diving Beryl Grocer are among campaign supporters.

"Posh Plonk’s Michael Moore and Jessica Dale are strong supporters of the campaign with a box of donated mugs to give people who do not have their keep cup with them.,” Ms Milne said.

“They buy their milk in 18 litre flagons to avoid the plastic in tetrapaks and plastic containers.

“Diving Beryl also has a mug library, as does the cafe at the Old Beechworth Gaol.

“Shops selling keep cups such as the Beechworth Emporium and the Beechworth News Xpress are also promoting their keep cups during this campaign.”

As part of the ‘Keep Up the Keep Cup Campaign’ and to celebrate Plastic-free July, Indigo Regen and Indigo Shire are hosting a screening of a powerful new documentary ‘The Plastic Country’ at the Beechworth Library on Thursday 30 July at 7pm.

The film runs for 70 minutes and will be followed by a short Q and A with Ms Milne and, the Shire Climate Change and Environment Officer, Annie Brien and a discussion with the audience.

A synopsis and story summary of the film are available on The Plastic Country website at https://documentaryaustralia.com.au/project/the-plastic-country/.

“We hope behavioural change needed to ‘ditch the disposable’ will continue well beyond the Plastic-free July Campaign for the sake of the health of all living creatures, including ourselves,” Ms Milne said.