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Plastics The 7 Sinners of the Plastic World

This week we are looking at those Plastics considered to be the worst offenders in our campaign to clean up our beautiful planet.

Plastic Bottles are NUMBER ONE

Locally, right now, Tauranga has one of the worst rates per capita in New Zealand for sending household waste to landfill. Almost 70% of our household waste going into landfill could be composted or recycled instead.

Not something to be proud of, right? Tauranga City Council want to change this, and have thought of new ways the kerbside rubbish and recycling collections could work for their community. With control of Tauranga’s kerbside waste volumes, Council will have greater influence over what can and can’t be recycled and composted. We will have the opportunity to consider a wider range of materials which will result in more resource recovery and less landfill waste. - From Tauranga City Council website - Waste: Why we need to change
TCC waste

have a think about where a plastic bottle may go when you have finished with it......

Eventually, everything flows to the sea.
Not one product can exit our loop, our world. There is no 'somewhere else' that our rubbish goes! It has to go somewhere on our planet.....

When we recycle we create a loop, we have a product, we recycle it, it gets reused in another form, we recycle it.....in this way we don't need to make so much NEW plastic. Western Bay recycling stations collect 'Number 1' (soft drink bottles) and 'Number 2' (milk bottle) type plastics. You can check the recycling symbol on the bottom of the container for the number. Always wash/rinse bottles and remove the lids.

We can do better, we can help improve biodiversity, remember that people are a part of the environment too. What can we do to change our impact?
The Para Kore programme is designed to support marae, kōhanga reo, kura and community organisations to reduce waste

Below is a video of how Para Kore are assisting Marae to be Zero Waste. The impact is massive and the outcomes many fold in linking these waste management strategies to Te Ao Maori, acknowledging our foundational connection with the Whenua.

Para Kore website

Poihakena Marae have embraced the systems brought in by Para Kore

WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT PLASTIC BOTTLES

DON'T BUY THEM! Use alternatives. Have a reusable bottle that you refill....

Refill NZ is an active campaign collaborating with epic enviro’ friendly cafes, bars, tourist biz, council facilities, that have freely available water, to welcome you in to refill your water bottle for free.

Refill NZ aims to prevent plastic pollution at source by making it easier to refill your reusable water bottle on the go, rather than buy water in a single-use plastic bottle. Tap water in NZ is free, clean, refreshing so there’s no need to buy bottled water. Look out for the logo and go inside!

Keep an eye out for sporting, corporate and public events that provide water refill stations like our fabulous Hydrohub, where water is available free, for all, with no plastic bottle required.

Many events now provide water refill stations to reduce use of plastic bottles.
Water is a precious resource, still freely available in our gorgeous country. We don't need to buy it in plastic bottles. Make a wise choice for the planet instead!

So what about shampoo, conditioner, dish wash liquid, fizzy drinks....anything that comes in plastic bottles, how can we change what we do? - the first step is to ask: do I need it? secondly: is there an alternative?

Buy shampoo and conditioner, body wash etc in a bar instead!

Shampoo and Conditioner, deoderants and moisturiser and other such products are now available in block form, no plastic required. You can also make them at home! Home science project alert!

Whilst you may not have all of the ingredients in the DIY shampoo video below, you may be able to order them online, or put on your shopping list for your bubble's Shopper....or keep researching and find a recipe that suits you.

This soap shaker (below) works just as well for your dishes, without all the chemicals added to make bubbles..... bubbles don't clean your dishes, hot soapy water and a scrubbing brush do!

refuse, replace, reduce, reuse, recycle and ROT

We can be savvy shoppers. Go to bulk bin shops, they are amazing, you will save SO much money!

Next time you shop, think of ALL the ways you can make better choices. If you refuse that plastic bottle, what is the next step.......

Some places to go for more information and support in making better choices:

take a lighter step on the earth

Take this time to review what you do in your home, let us all 'be the change you want to see in the world!'

Created By
Envirohub BOP
Appreciate

Credits:

Created with images by Brian Yurasits - "A pile of plastic collected along a small stretch of beach on Long Island, NY. This beach didn't have garbage receptacles, so visitors frequently dump their trash behind with no regards for the local wildlife. If you visit a beach like this, make sure you pack out what you brought in! And use less plastic in the first place. Follow on Instagram @wildlife_by_yuri" • Markus Spiske - "Plastic waste bottle pollution of the environment" • Bas Emmen - "Paper waste recycling plant" • Luke Stackpoole - "A ray of light penetrating the treetops" • John Cameron - "Detritus, Bhogave Beach" • Angela Compagnone - "Trash found on a beach. https://angelacompagnone.com/series#/advertisingseapollution/" • The New York Public Library - "Full Disk Earth, Apollo 17, 1972" • Keith Luke - "This was the best photograph I took on a recent outing photographing eagles." • Photo Boards - "untitled image" • Alex Perez - "Make a splash." • FitNish Media - "untitled image" • Meritt Thomas - "Water bottle refill center sign that reads "Plastic is bad for the ocean"" • Vivianne Lemay - "Recycling is great, but how much of it is actually reused? How much of it is burned for energy? How much of it is sent off to far off countries? Learn more about recycling and how you can minimize your impact at www.sosplastic.ca or follow @sos_plastic on Instagram "

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