Plastic Free July 2026: What’s On in Lane Cove

July means one thing on the sustainability calendar: Plastic Free July.

Lane Cove Council has put together a full month of events, trials and resources to help residents cut back on single-use plastic, and a few of them are already visible around the Plaza.

The focus is on small, doable swaps rather than a big lifestyle overhaul. This approach is a hallmark of the Plastic Free July initiative: pick one habit, stick with it for July and see if it sticks for good.

What’s On This Month

• 7 July: Choosing and Using Reusable Menstrual Products webinar.
• 24 July: Plastic Free July stall in Lane Cove Plaza, hosted by the Sustainability Collective, with resources and practical tips.
• All month: Reusable Container Trial with Cercle at participating cafes across Lane Cove.

Borrow the Cup, Skip the Waste

The Reusable Container Trial is the most visible part of the program this month.

Birdwood Cafe, The Cake Man, Fourth Fish Cafe, Old Quarter Cafe, One Seed Patisserie and Sarnie & Panini are participating in the trial using Cercle reusable takeaway containers.

How It Works

1. Go to a participating business.
2. Order and request a reusable takeaway container.
3. Tap the “Borrow” option on the Cercle Reserve Terminal.
4. Tap your debit or credit card to authorise a $3 hold. The funds will not be charged unless the item is not returned.
5. Grab your takeaway coffee or food in a Cercle container.
6. Drop the container back at one of the centralised Drop Pods by the next day.

No washing up, and no guilt about another disposable cup heading to landfill.

Where to Return Cercle Containers

Drop pods for used containers are located:

• At the top of the Plaza near Longueville Road
• Alongside the existing bins in the Plaza, adjacent to the astro turf
• At The Canopy, outside the lifts near the escalators

Please note: the drop pods are only for Cercle containers.

Have Your Say

Council wants to hear what Lane Cove residents are already doing to cut plastic waste.

You can share your own tips and tricks, or make a public pledge on what you will change this July here.

Resources to Get Started

If you want a simple place to start, Council’s Plastic Free July Action Checklist runs through easy swaps for home, work and school.

Download the checklist here.

Plastic Free July began as a small local idea in Western Australia and has since grown into a movement followed in cafes, schools and offices around the world.

Lane Cove’s version of it this July is a webinar, a stall in the Plaza and a takeaway cup you do not have to throw away.