Plastic pollution is putting NZ's 'clean green' image at risk

Tuesday, 23 July 2019

Tourists are drawn to New Zealand as one of the cleanest nations in the world - but plastic could taint that image.

A report from The Royal Society Te Apārangi says plastic has the potential to put pressure on the country's recreational, cultural and spiritual values.

Last year research from Waste Management World found New Zealand produces 3.68kg of waste per capita per day - the worst in the developed world.

Sustainable Coastlines co-founder Camden Howitt said the 'clean green NZ' and '100 per cent pure' slogans had been used for a long time, but now weren't the case.

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'We have a problem here and we need to address it before it puts tourists off,' he said.

Plastic shopping bags littering the ground at the Christchurch City Council Bottle Lake landfill. (File photo)

'It's certainly something that we want to work to improve before it's too late.'

For every thousand square metres of tested coastal areas there were 372 pieces of litter, which wasn't good enough, he said.

The report warns that plastic pollution has the power to damage a location's beauty and cultural value, and reduce recreational opportunities for residents and visitors.

Keep New Zealand Beautiful chief executive Heather Saunderson says as tourism and the national population grows, so does the litter problem.

'This harm results in losses of revenue and jobs to these regions, many of which are reliant on tourists for their primary source of income.'

Tourism Industry Aotearoa chief executive Chris Roberts said most visitors rated the country as clean enough - but it needed better recycling facilities.

'Particularly our European visitors, they comment we don't have very good recycling facilities here.'

Visitors wanted to dispose of things correctly, but that wasn't always easy, he said.

Compared to other parts of the world New Zealand was expected to be clean.

Sustainable Coastlines co-founders Camden Howitt and Sam Judd. Howitt says New Zealand's plastic problem should be addressed before it 'puts tourists off'.

'Compared to other countries we're good, but that doesn't mean that we can't do better.'

Tourism Industry Aotearoa members were ramping up their environmental efforts and it was a growing issue of concern.

'A visitor will have higher expectations that our beaches will be clean.'

During the Fox River rubbish tip disaster, some of the volunteers who were first at the scene and putting in the most effort were visitors, he said.

'They mucked in there with the locals and they wanted to help keep the country looking as pristine as possible.'

Keep New Zealand Beautiful chief executive Heather Saunderson said for the protection of the tourism industry there had never been a better time to educate people to not litter plastic.

For 52 years they had been at the forefront of the country's litter abatement movement, she said.

'However, as New Zealand's population and its tourism has grown, so has our litter problem.

'Being clean and green is not only vital for our own health and that of our rivers, lakes and beaches, but for the protection of our much valued tourism industry.'