This privacy policy sets out how we uses and protects any information that you give us when you use this website.
We are committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. Should we ask you to provide certain information by which you can be identified when using this website, then you can be assured that it will only be used in accordance with this privacy statement.
We may change this policy from time to time by updating this page. You should check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.
What we collect
We may collect the following information:
- name and job title
- contact information including email address
- demographic information such as postcode, preferences and interests
- other information relevant to customer surveys and/or offers
What we do with the information we gather
We require this information to understand your needs and provide you with a better service, and in particular for the following reasons:
- Internal record keeping.
- We may use the information to improve our products and services.
- We may periodically send promotional emails about new products, special offers or other information which we think you may find interesting using the email address which you have provided.
- From time to time, we may also use your information to contact you for market research purposes. We may contact you by email, phone, fax or mail. We may use the information to customise the website according to your interests.
Security
We are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
How we use cookies
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer's hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about webpage traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
Controlling your personal information
You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal information in the following ways:
- whenever you are asked to fill in a form on the website, look for the box that you can click to indicate that you do not want the information to be used by anybody for direct marketing purposes
- if you have previously agreed to us using your personal information for direct marketing purposes, you may change your mind at any time by writing to or emailing us.
We will not sell, distribute or lease your personal information to third parties unless we have your permission or are required by law to do so. We may use your personal information to send you promotional information about third parties which we think you may find interesting if you tell us that you wish this to happen.
If you believe that any information we are holding on you is incorrect or incomplete, please write to or email us as soon as possible at the above address. We will promptly correct any information found to be incorrect.
Merlo Coffee has led the way in reducing their waste. Merlo was the first coffee business in Queensland to introduce compostable takeaway cups and lids. Using BioPak Compost Service, they compost coffee grounds, food scraps, and packaging. The company founder, Dean Merlo, said, "In our 15 Merlo cages across Queensland, we go through millions of takeaway cups every year – if you lined them up, they'd stretch from Brisbane to Byron Bay and back again!" By removing conventional plastic-coated cups, and switching to BioPak compostable cups and lids, Merlo have cut their carbon emissions by 25%, and now keep 9.4 tonnes of plastic out of landfill and create 164 tonnes of compost each year. 
Merlo provides compost bins for customers to dispose of their used cups responsibly. Since November 2018, Merlo customers have been served takeaway coffee in BioPak single-wall compostable cups made from plants rather than crude oil. These used cups can then go into special composting bins at each Merlo store, along with food scraps and coffee grounds, to be transported to a facility near Ipswich where recycling and revegetation innovator NuGrow turns it into organic compost. BioPak CEO Gary Smith said Merlo customers can now be part of the solution to the national waste crisis. "Along with a mountain of coffee cups, Australians dump more than 8 million tonnes of food and organic waste that could be composted," Mr Smith said. "Decomposing food releases methane, which is [more than] 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide, causing enormous damage to our environment." Merlo has led the way in Queensland by composting its cups and organic waste, and other coffee retailers have now stepped up to be part of the change. Merlo also aims to roll out compostable cups to the 1600+ cafes it supplies with Merlo coffee beans. 
We all have a responsibility to reduce our waste. However, it is not just the cafes providing compostable coffee cups that have a responsibility for our waste. Once that cup finds itself in your hands, Merlo has no more control over where it ends up. If you have the time, hang around the café so that you can put the cup into the compost bin when you are finished with it. If you don't, why not store the cups until you find another compost bin you can dispose of them in? Compostable cups in landfill will emit methane and contribute to climate change, same as any other organic waste. We all have a responsibility to look after the planet, and it involves thinking about and being aware of our waste. Does your business want to make a difference? Join the BioPak Compost Service and start composting. Information taken from BioPak's website. Read more about keeping organics out of landfill, or have a look at the answers to common questions, on our blog. Article by Tallis Baker Planet Friendly Packaging acknowledges the traditional custodians of the land on which we work. Our thoughts go out to everyone affected by COVID-19. Stay safe.
