Raglan leading the way to ban plastic bags

Friday, 1 September 2017

Co-chair of Raglan Chamber of Commerce Morgan Morris, left, project manager of Plastic Bag Free Raglan June Penn, and Rakaipaka Puriri, 18 months, celebrating Four Square Raglan going plastic-bag free.

The little town of Raglan is leading the fight against plastic bags.

On Friday, the Waikato beach town's Four Square banned plastic bags, encouraging people to provide their own reusable bags or use the store's compostable bags.

Green MP Denise Roche said New Zealand is far behind other countries in banning single-use plastic bags, and it's up to the Government to put legislation in place.

The compostable bags are made from vegetable starch that will fully break down in the natural environment.

'If they land on the streets, oceans, they break down to plant [matter], causing no harm to wildlife or the food chain,' Plastic Bag Free Raglan project manager June Penn said.

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The initiative is a joint project with the community board, businesses, kerbside recycler Xtreme Zero Waste and Raglan Chamber of Commerce.

Plastic is a multigenerational issue with huge implications, Penn said.

A plastic bag is a lightweight toxic material made from fossil fuels that is unable to fully break down.

We use in excess of 1.6 billion plastic bags nationally in New Zealand, Penn said.

'It is the number one consumable item in the world and has an average life of 12 minutes.'

'You take it from the checkout, unpack your items and then that's it.

'So we wanted to first target something that we see as being rather easy to eliminate in our day-to-day lives.'

It is ending up in our oceans and into our mouths, Penn said.

'A lot of lightweight plastic escapes into the environment. We say, we're putting it away, but there's no such thing. Where is away?

'The wind carries these bags. Seagulls can pick them up or they escape into the ocean.

She said it is estimated that by 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean unless we do something.

'We're seeing whales wash up on the beach with stomachs full of plastic. \We've got plankton eating microscopic plastic that's broken down.

'The ocean has no walls. It is a health epidemic waiting to happen.'

New Zealand is behind the rest of the world and it's time to pick up our game, Green Party MP and waste spokeswoman Denise Roche said.

The small towns are putting the big cities to shame, she said.

Roche lives on Waiheke Island, and sees many similarities between the island and Raglan.

A community drive saw the Waiheke Countdown ban single-use plastic bags.

She said strong legislation needs to be put in place by the Government to create a 'social norm' of not using plastic bags.

'Councils want a charge and a phase-out of plastic bags. New Zealanders want it, retail New Zealand have said they want to charge, the only thing that's missing is the political will to do it.

'Even Kenya and Rwanda - these are not well-developed countries, you know - even they are eliminating plastic bags.'

Offenders in Kenya face serious fines or jail time.

The Waste Minimisation Act was introduced to Parliament by the Green Party and was passed in September 2008.

Roche said the first thing the National Government did was remove targets that had been enforced since 2002.

No priority has been set in nine years and no mandatory scheme, she added.

'They could put a charge on single-use plastic bags at checkouts, phase them out within three years and introduce refunds on plastic drink containers.'

More than 90 per cent of the country's city and district mayors signed an open letter in July to demand a plastic-bag levy.

Wellington Mayor Justin Lester first launched the open letter in June, after central government intimated they would not allow territorial authorities to impose their own bag levies.

Countdown general manager of corporate affairs, James Walker, said the company wants to 'do the right thing for our customers and the environment'.

The supermarket still provides plastic bags to shoppers who wish to use them, but also sells reusable bags.

'We've told Government, and MPs from other political parties, that we would support Government action on plastic bags.

'The best way to eliminate plastic bags is for Government-led action across all retailers nationwide.'

Penn said while it is 'baby steps', it is progress.

Other items to eliminate include plastic straws, plastic coffee cup lids, cigarette filters and plastic bottles.

'I worry for my grandchildren, and their grandchildren. We are committed to zero plastic bags in Raglan.'