In most households, teenagers are the first to scatter when it comes to doing the dishes, but a group of young people have rolled up their sleeves to wash tableware in a bid to reduce single-use plastic waste.
The teenagers attend events across the south-west of Western Australia including the Margaret River Farmers' Market to wash dishes used by the local food vendors.
The volunteers offer the food vendors or customers reusable plates, cups and cutlery, collect them once they are done and wash them.
Cape to Cape Plastic Free operates the free Wash Against Waste stall and member Nirala Hunt said the very simple idea was having big results.
"The whole point is to cut down on the market waste, on the plastic that is going into our waste systems.
"We've reduced the market rubbish by about two-thirds since we've been here," she said.
Every dirty plate counts
Ms Hunt said the teenage volunteers were part of the local youth advisory council who were called on to help out on occasions.
"We are trying to educate them on how to educate people.
"So if we can change their behaviour, we're winning."
Twelve-year-old Eleka Marshall has volunteered for the Wash Against Waste stall.
She said she usually avoids the dishes at home.
"At home it's just like my food scraps and it's not going to landfill if I don't do it.
"Here, it's for other people to use and it's making the world better and it's helping out for my future," she said.
Fourteen-year-old Rhya Hackett has volunteered washing dishes several times and said customers are very receptive to the idea.
"We get a lot of people coming through asking for cups and plates and we get a lot coming back."
Ms Hunt has also noticed a change in behaviour.
"What's happening is the number of things … that we've washed go down because people are changing their behaviour and they are bringing their own takeaway cups and containers."
Spreading the word
Margaret River is a renowned wine region that attracts tourists from all over the world.
Ms Hunt believes for that reason, locals are in the perfect position to educate a wide variety of people.
"I think people are curious, they actually come and ask us what we are doing and some of them think it's a fabulous idea."
She said tourists, schools and other recycling groups had all shown interest in starting their own washing stall.
"It's a very simple thing to do.
"People don't use takeaway cups and plates at home — why use them anywhere else?"
