Port Douglas artists are being invited to create a design for an iconic Port Douglas reusable shopping bag as part of the Think Outside the Bag project.

The Cairns and Far North Environment Centre, Tangaroa Blue and the Douglas Shire Sustainability Group are currently running the Think Outside the Bag project, working with small businesses to trial a phase out of plastic bags in Port Douglas.

As part of this project they plan to create a beautiful and distinctive reusable shopping bag to encourage both visitors and locals to reduce their use of plastic bags.

WATCH AN AMUSING, YET DISTURBING TAKE ON THE LIFE OF THE PLASTIC BAG (top left)

The word is out and the quest is on for an image or artwork that portrays an aspect of the natural beauty of the Port Douglas region.

The chosen design will be used on the bag and the artist will win an exciting full day snorkeling trip for two on local boat Poseidon, generously donated by local business Poseidon Outer Reef Cruises.

“Plastic shopping bags may be convenient but they also kill 1 million sea birds and 100,000 sea mammals each year, as well as contributing to our growing problem of waste disposal," said project manager Anna McGuire.

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"The good news is that they are avoidable, with many cost-effective reusable or alternative bags now available.

“For a beautiful area like Port Douglas, going plastic bag free makes a lot of sense. We’re working with community groups and local artists in Port Douglas and Cairns to show that going plastic bag free can be easy and fun if we think about it creatively and make the most of the amazing local talent that we have in the region,” Ms McGuire said.

In a poll on The Newsport in November 2010, 80 per cent of respondents said plastic bags should be banned in Port Douglas.

Anyone who would like to be part of this project is encouraged to email their design (as an image file or pdf) to sustainability@cafnec.org.au by October 31.

For more information on the THINK OUTSIDE THE BAG project visit www.cafnec.org.au or call 4032 1746.