Waitakere is the first New Zealand city to declare a goal of going plastic shopping bag free. Its ‘Bags Not!’ campaign was launched before a crowd of hundreds at Westfield WestCity on September 5.
Kelston’s award winning Unison dance crew, Project Twin Streams Song Quest winner Abootu and reggae duo Rootswest performed.
Mayor Bob Harvey said the launch was a fun way to start work on a serious environmental mission.
“Every bag is another few grams of oil, coal and gas polluting our environment. It doesn’t seem like much until you realise there are billions of people using and discarding them every day,” he said.
“Change can start with a city of 200,000 taking a stand. We want to do something about it.”
Plastic shopping bags are recognised worldwide as an environmental hazard. They create litter, clog waterways and are made from non-renewable resources. It takes up to 1000 years for them to degrade and they float easily in air and water, travelling long distances.
Thousands of marine animals die every year after eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
Thin ‘singlet’ bags used by the majority of retailers pose the biggest environmental threat.
Mayor Harvey said all cities and countries should take steps to cut their plastic shopping bag use.
“Many cities and countries have already banned or taxed them,” he said.
“It’s only right that Waitakere, New Zealand’s eco city, addresses the issue on its own doorstep and leads the way for other Kiwi cities to follow. New Zealanders use more than one billion plastic shopping bags every year. That’s about 250 per person. If everyone committed to using just three fewer bags a week, that number would halve.”
The Bags Not! website – www.bagsnot.co.nz – provides information on ways to avoid using plastic shopping bags and source more environmentally-friendly options. It’s also packed with facts and figures, answers to frequently asked questions and examples of successful plastic bag eradication campaigns around the world.
Tips for reducing plastic bag use
Individuals:
- Carry a reusable bag when you go shopping. So you don’t forget, put the bag back in the car as soon as you unload your shopping or keep your car keys in it.
- Say ‘no thanks’ to plastic bags if you are only buying one or two items.
- Line your household rubbish bin with newspaper and compost your food waste.
Retailers:
- Sell alternative or reusable bags that promote your business and your environmental stance.
- Train staff to help customers say no to plastic bags and yes to any alternatives you may stock.
Did you know??
- An estimated one trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide every year.
- China is expected to save 37 million barrels of oil each year as a result of its ban on free plastic bags.
- Less than one percent of bags are recycled. It costs more to recycle a bag than to produce a new one.
- Plastic shopping bags photodegrade. Over time they break down into smaller, more toxic petro-polymers, which eventually contaminate soils and waterways.
