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

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Need To Do More To Reduce Plastic Pollution In Water

New Zealanders are amongst the highest generators of plastic waste in the world and on top of this there is now concern about the level of microplastics in our water.

As Plastic-free July gets underway, Water New Zealand chief executive Gillian Blythe says while the recent move to ban many single-use plastics is an important step towards reducing pollution in our waterways, there is an urgent need to do much more.

She says microplastics are a growing concern.

“Plastic fragments from many household products end up being washed down our kitchen and bathroom sinks and laundry pipes, to wastewater treatment plants.

“A lot of microplastic pollution comes from everyday things such as synthetic clothing and furnishing, glitter, sponges, plastic bottles, cosmetics, cleaning products and so on.

“Wastewater treatment plants capture a significant amount of the plastic debris, but microplastic particles – less than five millimetres – often escape through the sieving process into the environment.”

“While this is a global problem, a recent study for Aotearoa New Zealand revealed that microplastics from wastewater treatment plants are a significant contributor to coastal plastic pollution.”

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.

The study, by Canterbury University environmental scientist, Helena Ruffell, was presented at a recent Water New Zealand conference.

It looked at both the influent and effluent of microplastics in three wastewater treatment plants in Canterbury.

Gillian Blythe says that as well as ending up in the ocean environment, microplastics are also present in biosolids which end up on the land.

“The best way to stop microplastics getting into the environment is to stop plastic pollution at source. This means using less plastic.”

She says everyone can play a role by being aware and, where possible, reducing the amount of plastic we use everyday.

“There are many changes we can all make, for instance, switching to loose leaf tea instead of tea bags, avoiding synthetic fibre wherever possible and purchasing a front-loading washing machine when you replace your current one. Front loaders have been found to shed less microfibre as well as use less water.”

It’s been estimated that New Zealanders throw away an around 159 grams of plastic waste per person every day - making us one of the world’s biggest plastic polluters on a population basis.

© 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.