Yarning at Yabun
The Yabun Festival happens annually on 26 January, held on Gadigal Country. This community event is one of Australia’s largest one-day celebrations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. It’s a celebration of the diversity of Aboriginal peoples, their ongoing cultures and connections to the lands and waterways of NSW.
For the second year running, the EPA had a stall at Yabun, with staff from both the Aboriginal Initiatives and Plastics teams engaging and mixing with the community. Around 1,000 people stopped by the stall to have a yarn, voicing their opinions on problematic plastic waste in our environment. Our on-the-spot plastics survey was a hit, with high levels of participation and discussion. A common feeling from the community was that tackling the issue should start with large supermarkets and retailers, who could take a more proactive role in cutting down on plastic use.
We also heard a lot of positive talk around Return and Earn, and discussions about promoting reusable items such as the merchandise we had at the stall. These included reusable drink bottles, bags, straws, veggie bags and cutlery sets.
Yabun was a great opportunity to give visibility to our purpose and functions and show the community that we share a common interest in protecting Country and the environment.