The Surfrider Foundation Australia is asking the NSW State Government to implement a ban on single-use and biodegradable plastic bags. Australians go through over a million plastic bags each day and these bags are choking marine life and poisoning our beaches and waterways. Plastic bags are artificially created with chemicals that are designed to last forever and simply don't mix with nature. Single-use plastic bags never disintegrate and break up into tinier micro particles that never truly biodegrade. 'Biodegradable' bags have the same problem. Do not be fooled by their name and think that they will disappear.
Shockingly, only about 3% of plastic bags get recycled in Australia.
Don't be green washed by policy-makers, the plastics industry and big chain retailers who bully the government into seeking soft biodegradable alternatives that still wreak havoc on marine life. It's time for NSW to say NO to single-use plastic bags.
South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory all have bag bans, and Queensland are implementing their bag ban in 2018. NSW can't lag behind on this important issue. We all live downstream and even if you live in anonther State, our bags could wash up on your shores. We need our rivers and beaches to be clean and plastic free; we want a cleaner State.
Dear Gabrielle Upton, Gladys Berejiklian and the NSW State Government,
Evidence has shown that single-use plastics are an increasing danger to marine life and our ocean ecosystem.
Other States and Territories in Australia have adopted bans and they have proven successful both environmentally and financially, keeping waterways clean and reducing clean up costs.
We call on you to ban all single-use and biodegradable plastic bags in NSW as soon as possible.
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