. Earth Science News .
FROTH AND BUBBLE
New Zealand bans single-use plastic bags
By Neil SANDS
Wellington (AFP) July 1, 2019

New Zealand officially banned single-use plastic shopping bags Monday, introducing hefty fines for businesses that continue to provide them.

Plastic pollution has become a growing global concern, with a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals injured or killed every year by becoming entangled in packaging or ingesting it through the food chain.

Companies that break New Zealand's ban will face heavy penalties, including fines of up to NZ$100,000 ($67,000).

"New Zealanders are proud of our country's clean, green reputation and want to help ensure we live up to it," environment minister Eugenie Sage said.

"Ending the use of single-use plastic shopping bags helps do that."

Under the new rules, thin plastic single-use shopping bags can no longer be supplied -- but the law allows reusable carriers to continue being provided.

The legislation -- which was announced in August last year and came into force on Monday -- will have little practical effect, as New Zealand's major supermarkets have already voluntarily banned the bags.

However, Sage said it was putting the issue of recycling on the agenda.

"(The ban) doesn't go far enough, but what is really great is it's started the conversation," she told Radio New Zealand.

"People are now talking about single-use plastics and how we can phase them out."

Britain's Royal Statistical Society estimates 90.5 percent of all plastic waste -- some 6,300 million metric tons -- has never been recycled and is either in landfill or accumulating in the natural environment.

If current production and waste management trends continue, the ocean of plastic waste is estimated to almost double to 12,000 million metric tons by 2050.

More than 80 countries have already introduced bag bans similar to New Zealand's, according to the UN Environment Programme.

While it praised such initiatives, it said more needed to be done to minimise other sources of plastic waste including microbeads and single-use items such as straws.

Canada last month announced plans to ban disposable plastic items such as straws, cutlery and stir sticks from 2021.

The Pacific nation of Vanuatu will implement a ban in December on disposable diapers, which not only have non-biodegradable plastic linings but also use chemical absorbents which leach into the environment.

Sage said the New Zealand government was committing NZ$40 million ($27 million) to find ways to reuse plastic waste instead of sending it to landfill overseas.

"We have been sending our waste offshore for too long," she said.

"China and other countries refusing to take our waste is the wake-up call we need."

The issue of wealthy developed nations using poorer countries as trash dumps was highlighted this week when Canada had to accept back tonnes of rubbish it shipped to the Philippines years ago.

For years, China received the bulk of scrap plastic from around the world, but closed its doors to foreign refuse last year in an effort to clean up its environment.

ns/arb/je

THE SAGE GROUP PLC


Related Links
Our Polluted World and Cleaning It Up


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


FROTH AND BUBBLE
Canada takes garbage back from Philippines, ending long dispute
Vancouver (AFP) June 29, 2019
Tonnes of Canadian garbage left in the Philippines for years arrived back home Saturday, putting an end to a festering diplomatic row that highlighted how Asian nations have grown tired of being the world's trash dump. A cargo vessel loaded with about 69 containers of rubbish docked in a port on the outskirts of Vancouver, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. The trash will be incinerated at a waste-to-energy facility, local officials said. The conflict dates back to 2013 and 2014, wh ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

FROTH AND BUBBLE
House panel approves bill to pay Coast Guard members during government shutdowns

Fallout particle offers insight into Fukushima nuclear accident

Seven people, including Chinese, charged over Cambodia building collapse

Crumbling roads, grids cost poor nations billions due to storms: World Bank

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Mimicking the ultrastructure of wood with 3D-printing

Researchers verify 70-year-old theory of turbulence in fluids

Machine Learning Tool Searches Star Data for Likely Exoplanet Hosts

Researchers see around corners to detect object shapes

FROTH AND BUBBLE
New research shows how melting ice is affecting supplies of nutrients to the sea

Coral species prefers microplastics to real food

Deep submersible dives shed light on rarely explored coral reefs

The far-future ocean: Warm yet oxygen-rich

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Scientists find 56 lakes under the Greenland Ice Sheet

Greenland ice loss projections are clouded by clouds

Hungry polar bear found wandering in Russia industrial city

Himalayan glaciers melting twice as fast: study

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Bordeaux winemakers cheer heatwave: 'It's magic!'

Canada, China diplomatic row provokes farm troubles

Lesotho farmers protest against Chinese wool deal

Qu Dongyu becomes first Chinese to head UN food agency FAO

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Papua New Guinea deploys army to help volcano emergency

Earthquake location influenced by stress buildup of previous ruptures

Deep-sea fish in shallow waters of Japan not an earthquake predictor

Earthquake swarms feed molten rock to newly forming volcanoes

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Environmental destruction linked to African population raises questions about family sizes

Ethiopia on edge in ethnic heartland of accused coup leader

Jihadist-hit Burkina adopts tough law on covering military ops

Cameroon to prosecute 7 soldiers over 'atrocity' video

FROTH AND BUBBLE
Neanderthals made repeated use of the ancient settlement of 'Ein Qashish, Israel

Selfies and the self: what they say about us and society

Indian family branches out with novel tree house

DNA analysis offers insight into Japan's ancient population boom, bust









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.