Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

Make The World Of Difference This Plastic Free July

Wellington City Council is proudly promoting Plastic Free July and supporting events, organisations and initiatives to help reduce plastic use for good.

Plastic Free July started in Australia in 2011 and is now an internationally recognised campaign with over 140 million participants worldwide, including thousands taking part in Wellington each year.

Wellington City Council has been a driving force in plastic use change in many ways, including its funding of initiatives like RefillNZ, container lending schemes Cupcycling, Again Again, and Reusabowl, and Nonstop Solutions helped minimise single use food and drink packaging waste by providing reusable crockery at the recent Matariki festival.

Wellington City Council was also instrumental in the reduction of plastic straws and single-use plastic bags, and The Tip Shop is increasingly diverting reusable treasures from the landfill.

We have a lot to be proud of, and consumers are making smarter purchasing decisions, but we still have a long way to go, says Councillor Laurie Foon.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“Plastic Free July is a good opportunity for us to raise awareness around the unnecessary impact plastic has on the environment, and how just a few changes in our behaviour can make the world of difference.

“Imagine the emissions and waste saved over a year if we embraced our reusables and took a reusable container to the butcher or supermarket deli rather than buying packaged goods.

“Globally 100 billion tonnes of materials are used every year, and only about 10 percent of these are recycled or repurposed.

“To reduce these alarming numbers we need dramatic change at every level, from Councils and Central Government to plastics manufacturers, business and retailers, but consumers can influence them and inspire others with simple acts like using sustainable alternatives to single use plastic in everyday activities.”

Some stats:

  • At the Council’s Recycle Centre, in the last financial year we collected 38 tonnes of plastics and cans to be made into new products.
  • 40 Tonnes of recycling material from residential kerbside collections from Wellington City is processed at OJI every day, including 34,000 milk bottles daily.
  • 27,000 PET meat trays are collected daily around the region and recycled locally at Flight Plastics.
  • Since the 1950s, 8.3 billion tonnes of plastic have been produced globally with the majority (79%) ending up in a landfill or being discarded into the environment. That’s the same weight as 800,000 Eiffel Towers or over 1 billion elephants. Just over a third of this has been short-term or single use plastic packaging.

Take the challenge to swap out one, some or all single use plastics this July. Check out the Plastic Free July webpage for resources, inspiration and tips for schools, work and at home. Trying to decide what single use plastic to swap out, play plastic free whare, it’s a fun way to make choices and see your impact.

Simple tips and tricks for reducing plastic and giveaways will also feature on the Council’s social media channels – so keep an eye on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout July.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.