Ban Plastic Bags in New Zealand Supermarkets
New Zealand uses 22 million plastic bags a week. That is a total of 1,144,000,000 per year. It takes 500 years for a plastic bag to degrade. They break down into tiny toxic particles that contaminate the soil and waterways and enter the food chain when animals accidentally ingest them.
Plastic bags are now amongst the top 12 items of debris most often found along coastlines. Animals and sea creatures are hurt and killed every day by discarded plastic bags, mistaking plastic bags for food is commonplace amongst marine animals. Plastic clogs their intestines and leads to slow starvation. Others become entangled in plastic bags and drown.
Every year, a million seabirds and 100,000 sharks, dolphins, turtles and whales die from eating plastic. Currently, there is six times more plastic than plankton floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
It is time to put and end to the spread use of plastic bags and radical changes are needed. We can help save the World one plastic bag at a time!
Please ask the New Zealand Government to ban plastic bags.
Dear Prime Minister Key,
We the undersigned urged you to ban the use of plastic bags in the country. It is an unnecessary wrong that is devastating the environment worldwide. At least 267 species have been scientifically documented to be adversely affected by plastic marine debris and it is estimated to kill over 100,000 marine mammals and turtles each year.
Numerous international reports have called for the banning or drastic reduction of plastic bags due to their environmental damage. Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, recently said "there is simply zero justification for manufacturing [plastic bags] any more, anywhere."
Plastic bags are not essential for our existence. We can always carry our groceries in a reusable bag.
Thank you for taking the time to read our letter of concern.
