Hospitality giant joins forces with waste reducing company in fight against
single-use plastic

Two million paper straws have arrived in Christchurch as part of Hospitality NZ’s plan to get their members to be plastic straw-free by 2019.

Waste reducing company, The Rubbish Whisperer has joined forces with Hospitality NZ to promote the reduction of plastic straws to 3,000 hospitality operators including restaurants, cafés, bars, hotels, taverns, off-licenses, casinos and an array of short and long-term accommodation providers nationwide.

“Getting rid of single-use plastic is important to us. We’ve found that many of our members feel bad about using plastic straws, since it goes against environmental ethics,” said Nick Keene, Head of Hospitality NZ’s Environment/Sustainability Advisory Board.

“We really want to promote paper straw alternatives because our members, collectively, are the biggest contributors to plastic straw use,” Nick said.

Because of the large impact it can make to reducing New Zealand waste, The Rubbish Whisperer is offering an incentive discount to all Hospitality NZ members wanting to switch from plastic to paper straws.

“It’s great to see, despite how much plastic pollution we’re responsible for creating, that people are wanting to take steps - vital steps - to reduce their waste,” said The Rubbish Whisperer founder, Helen Rupp.

“For the Rubbish Whisperer, our relationship with Hospitality NZ means we can make an even bigger difference to the environment by helping the hospitality industry find simple ways of moving away from single-use plastic.”

The Rubbish Whisperer sells superior quality paper straws which are 100 percent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Union (EU) approved, with the ability to decompose in 30-60 days. They are packaged completely free of plastic.

“We have partnered with Helen and The Rubbish Whisperer because they are New Zealand-owned and they support local employment. As a partner in sustainable practices they were exactly what we were looking for – it was a logical choice for us. Straws on request, reduction of packaging in general, and better recycling options are all part of our philosophy.” Nick Keene said.

About The Rubbish Whisperer

- The Rubbish Whisperer was formed in 2013 by Helen Rupp to reduce rubbish by eliminating single-use disposable plastic.
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- Its product range includes reusable produce bags, beeswax food wrap and 100 percent biodegradable paper straws.

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- SIFT, the Sustainable Initiatives Fund, helped The Rubbish Whisperer fund the two million paper straws shipped to New Zealand.
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About Hospitality NZ

- Founded over 100 years ago, Hospitality New Zealand’s goal is to give hospitality operators a helping hand with their business in as many ways as possible.
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- Hospitality New Zealand is dedicated to working towards a sustainable hospitality industry in New Zealand. They recently developed an Environment/Sustainability Advisory Board set up to bring members a range of advice, trends and action points relevant to the sustainability space.
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For more information contact The Rubbish Whisperer at sales@rubbishwhisperer.co.nz or visit their website rubbishwhisperer.co.nz/.

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