It hardly needs stating that we live in a beautiful part of the world.
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The Border region is known for its range of stunning landscapes – from the alps right down to the majestic Murray River.
It is also dotted with picturesque towns and the modern, attractive cities of Albury, Wodonga and Wangaratta.
People clearly take pride in the communities where they live.
For many years the indication of just how much they care has been seen on the outskirts of towns with signs declaring people are about to enter a tidy town.
A clear example of a beautiful spot in the region is Yackandandah.
Its streetscapes, especially through the heart of town, are barely matched by any other in Australia.
Adding to all this is the beauty of the surrounding countryside. It’s no wonder then that the town is a major attraction, both for folk from the big city and day-trippers from the region.
But that is still not enough for Yackandandah’s residents.
They have taken on a project that aims to make it an even lovelier place to live and to visit, while also helping the local wildlife.
That involves a campaign to stop plastic bags being such a blight on the landscape.
Most of us would probably say we don’t want plastic bags to litter our streets, to clog our waterways or to be somehow ingested by wildlife.
And yet when it comes to the logistics of getting the grocery shopping home, or those extra purchases at Christmas, we willingly accept the bags in the interest of convenience.
We might even say to ourselves as we unpack at home that next time we’ll be stronger and knock it back, because we’ve instead planned ahead and brought along our own reusable bags.
It is this approach that the Plastic Wise Yackandandah campaign, backed by Indigo Council, wants residents to adopt.
The focus is on getting people to first make and then repeatedly use material bags.
Into the mix comes what comes best in country towns – getting people to work together to achieve that goal.
Residents have already begun sewing bees to make the bags that eventually will be available from a shared box in town.
The campaign is an extremely worthy one that deserves the support of all.
And it would be excellent to see the concept take off in other Border communities.