Drop of Good picks up on pandemic waste
3 March 2022
Liquorland and First Choice Liquor Market customers will join the front line in the fight to rid our natural spaces of the scourge of litter in March with their annual Drop of Good campaign.
From Saturday, March 5 to Sunday, March 6, which is Clean Up Australia Day, 25 cents from every transaction1 at Liquorland and First Choice Liquor Market stores will go to Clean Up Australia and support the important work carried out by its dedicated volunteers every day of the year.
The impact of the pandemic on our environment, particularly mask litter is a key focus for Clean Up Australia this year.
Protecting communities from COVID-19 has introduced huge quantities of disposable plastic into our communities and along with takeaway containers and disposable cups, masks are now a common sight on footpaths, beaches and parks.
Building on the success of the inaugural Drop of Good campaign in 2021, the funds raised in March will support the creation and distribution of free Clean Up kits to assist volunteers to clean up their local communities.
These kits include biodegradable rubbish and recycling bags, protective gloves, a high-vis vest and sharps containers to keep volunteers safe.
Team members and customers rallied behind the Drop of Good campaign in 2021, raising more than $125,000 over one weekend in March, which funded Clean Up kits for close to 1,800 community and school Clean Up events around the country.
Coles Liquor General Manager Operations Steve Hugginson said the Drop of Good campaign was an important part of the work Liquorland and First Choice Liquor Market stores did in their communities around the country.
“Our customers and team members really support our fundraising for Clean Up Australia because they understand the important work that goes on in their own local communities to clean up and maintain or restore parks, beaches and bushland,” Mr Hugginson said.
1 tobacco only and gift card only transactions are excluded.
“We have strong links with the communities we serve and by supporting Clean Up Australia we are contributing to the sustainable future of natural spaces in neighborhoods all around Australia.”
Clean Up Australia Chair Pip Kiernan said Coles’ support for Clean Up Australia and the lead role it had played in a number of important initiatives spoke to its deep connections to the local communities it operates in.
“The direct support Coles’ Drop of Good campaign provides for communities is invaluable,” Ms Kiernan said.
“Keeping Australians safe during the pandemic has come at a high price for the environment, with disposable masks and single-use items now commonly found littering the country.
“The funds raised through the Drop of Good campaign will support invaluable community action, providing free Clean Up Australia materials to volunteers who can remove litter before it has a chance to impact wildlife.”
In addition to the Drop of Good campaign, Coles has raised more than $700,000 for Clean Up Australia since 2018 from the sales of specially marked reusable shopping bags designed by Aussie kids.
The Clean Up Australia initiative is one of many which help Coles Group meet the ambitions set out in our Sustainability Strategy, under the focus areas Together to Zero and Better Together.
These community partnerships will help ensure positive environmental outcomes and a more sustainable future for generations of Australians ahead.
1 - Tobacco only and gift card only transactions are excluded.
For further information, please contact Coles Media Line (03) 9829 5250 or
media.relations@coles.com.au
