The War On PLASTIC WASTE
“ No-one in their daily life within a period of 10 minutes isn ’ t touching something that is made of plastic .”
The words of Professor Andrew Holmes , at University of Melbourne have never rung truer . We are seeing an extraordinary increase in the amount of plastic packaging making their way into our oceans , and typically we haven ’ t seemed to worry about where this plastic has been going , until it made a deleterious ecological impact which caused us to stand up and notice .
Australians use an estimated 20 million plastic bags every day , along with 40 million straws . It is estimated that 50 million bags enter the Australian litter stream each year .
The world recycles a mere 14 % of plastic packaging and the difference lands up in our oceans , killing sea life and endangering the food chain by reacting with industrial chemicals to cause toxic concerns . These tiny particles of plastic or microfibres pose a threat to the food chain as they do not biodegrade and often bind with harmful chemicals , including pesticides and flame retardants , which have harmful effects on plankton and are consumed by fish .
Over the last few decades , Australia has made some thoughtful changes from the top down to promote , monitor and expedite waste management schemes . Education has played a major role in changing perceptions of the consumer culture of Australia and furthering environmental causes .
Legislation In Australia , there has been encouragement from the local and central government as waste management is legislated and controlled at state level , with municipal councils providing the collection programs . The key to decreasing plastic waste on land and across our oceans is to focus on sustainable practices and to leverage these in our daily lives . The benefits of a well-managed planet are immense . In your home , ensure that purchased goods are environmentally friendly , avoid purchasing unnecessary packaging and reuse where you can , compost your kitchen waste and
AUSTRALIANS USE APPROXIMATELY 20 MILLION PLASTIC BAGS AND 40 MILLION STRAWS EVERY DAY
choose recycled packaging where you can .
What can we do about it ? Get involved ! There are things we can do to proactively reduce plastic waste and its subsequent accumulation in landfills . The mantra of reduce , reuse , recycle is fast becoming the solution to the burgeoning waste issue . Buy unpackaged products where possible , re-use containers , packaging and waste products wherever you can and recycle the waste material where you can .
Cairns , specifically , with its custodianship of the Great Barrier Reef , has recently produced a litany of activists for change . Founder of Earth Hour , Andy Ridley , has recently declared Cairns his home base , as he launches the Citizens of the Great Barrier Reef . Locally , a number of individuals have embarked on community driven campaigns to increase awareness around the waste .
We caught up with three local legends to further explore their campaigns .
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