Ban Wildlife-Killing Plastic Bags in Wyong Shire
- by: John Pastor
- recipient: Mayor Doug Eaton
The environment our children will inherit is being severly damaged by plastic bags that we as consumers are using. There are alternatives and there is no excuse not to use them. Every plastic bag that enters our hands has the potential to remain on this planet in its current form for longer than our children will live.
Australians use approximately 4 billion lightweight plastic bags every year. A very small quantity of these are recycled. Vast amounts of fossil fuel are required to produce these bags, a process which adds to greenhouse emissions.
Plastic refuse is a major threat to our land, waterways and ocean environments. Plastic takes hundreds of years to break down and has the potential to end up in the marine food chain with devastating consequences. At least 77 species of marine wildlife found in Australian waters are affected by marine litter.
Eliminating single use plastic bags requires negligible infrastructure and will save clean-up costs incurred by local and state governments whilst also allowing significant savings to retailers. The Byron Shire must follow the lead of Tasmania, South Australia, the NT and the ACT and introduce a ban to reduce waste and environmental degradation as a matter of urgency.
Our children deserve better outcomes than what is currently being created by the purchases we make today using plastic bags.
Single-use plastic bags are some of the most damaging waste products generated by humans. These bags don't easily disintegrate in the environment and can persist for hundreds of years resulting in land and water pollution.
Plastic bags also cause hundreds of wildlife deaths each year when animals mistake these flimsy bags for food and try to consume them. Animals from at least 77 species of marine wildlife found in Australian waters have died from consuming marine debris including plastic bags. Unless we take action now, many of the unique and awe-inspiring wildlife species of Australia will die from this completely unnecessary pollution.
There are environmentally friendly alternatives, so there is no excuse for continuing to use these bags.It's time to ban them!
Vast amounts of fossil fuel are required to produce these bags, a process which adds to the environmental footprint of plastic bags. Eliminating single-use plastic bags requires negligible changes to existing infrastructure and will save cleanup costs incurred by local and state governments whilst also allowing significant savings to retailers. In other words, it is a win-win situation no matter which side you are on.
Let's start now by urging Wyong Shire Council to ban plastic bags.
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