NSW State Govt - shameful governance
Plastic bags are a special pollution problem - as well as being unsightly and causing litter, they also take a long time to break down; and they have the added ability to ensnare sea-going animals [fish, turtles & seabirds].
According to A 2006 study by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, plastic bags pose one of the most disturbing threats to wildlife, especially considering the number of bags released in the environment and the ease with which they find their way into the oceans.
Nearly four billion plastic bags are used in Australia every year and over 3.7 billion will be dumped in landfill sites. However this is not the end of the journey for many plastic bags as 47% of items blown from landfill sites are plastic, predominantly plastic bags. These bags can be carried hundreds of miles before settling. Added to these landfill escapees are the 50 million plastic bags littered in Australia every year.
Once a plastic bag enters the water it drifts with the currents and its capacity to kill is fully realised. Plastic bags, with their pale colouration and gently undulating form, fool turtles and seals into mistaking them for jellyfish and making the fatal error of eating them. Once plastic bags are swallowed they cannot be digested and cause a slow and painful death.
A scientific committee found [in 2004] that many threatened species in NSW have ingested marine debris or become entangled. This list includes, but is not limited to, three species of marine turtle, Wandering Albatross, Southern Giant Petrels, Australian Fur-seals, Humpback Whales, Sperm Whales and the Little Penguin population in Manly.
But South Australia has managed to banish free plastic bags from supermarkets, why not NSW? So compelling is the case, that we can only assume it is ineptitude on the part of the NSW Labor State Government, or more likely, political weakness.
In supermarkets in SA you have to pay 15c for a high quality plastic bag if you haven't brought your own bag. This has two benefits - firstly it's not the sort of light plastic that blows around and easily gets blown into the sea, and secondly the [albeit small] charge is an incentive to shoppers to bring their own bags. Supermarkets in NSW have shopping bags for sale, but many shoppers don't remember to bring them back for the next shop, so they often end up sitting in the car, and the shopper goes back to the default position of using the freely provided plastic bags again. How to ensure that the shopper remembers?
Simple - a small financial penalty to dis-incentivise them from forgetting ie charge for them!
A seemingly perfect solution - a financial incentive to bring your own bag, or a charge to have a supermarket-provided one. It seems such a simple solution - why can't the NSW State Government legislate likewise? Either they are in the pockets of powerful vested interests, or they are too stupid. Shame on them.
According to A 2006 study by the Department of Environment and Climate Change, plastic bags pose one of the most disturbing threats to wildlife, especially considering the number of bags released in the environment and the ease with which they find their way into the oceans.
Nearly four billion plastic bags are used in Australia every year and over 3.7 billion will be dumped in landfill sites. However this is not the end of the journey for many plastic bags as 47% of items blown from landfill sites are plastic, predominantly plastic bags. These bags can be carried hundreds of miles before settling. Added to these landfill escapees are the 50 million plastic bags littered in Australia every year.
Once a plastic bag enters the water it drifts with the currents and its capacity to kill is fully realised. Plastic bags, with their pale colouration and gently undulating form, fool turtles and seals into mistaking them for jellyfish and making the fatal error of eating them. Once plastic bags are swallowed they cannot be digested and cause a slow and painful death.
A scientific committee found [in 2004] that many threatened species in NSW have ingested marine debris or become entangled. This list includes, but is not limited to, three species of marine turtle, Wandering Albatross, Southern Giant Petrels, Australian Fur-seals, Humpback Whales, Sperm Whales and the Little Penguin population in Manly.
But South Australia has managed to banish free plastic bags from supermarkets, why not NSW? So compelling is the case, that we can only assume it is ineptitude on the part of the NSW Labor State Government, or more likely, political weakness.
In supermarkets in SA you have to pay 15c for a high quality plastic bag if you haven't brought your own bag. This has two benefits - firstly it's not the sort of light plastic that blows around and easily gets blown into the sea, and secondly the [albeit small] charge is an incentive to shoppers to bring their own bags. Supermarkets in NSW have shopping bags for sale, but many shoppers don't remember to bring them back for the next shop, so they often end up sitting in the car, and the shopper goes back to the default position of using the freely provided plastic bags again. How to ensure that the shopper remembers?
Simple - a small financial penalty to dis-incentivise them from forgetting ie charge for them!
A seemingly perfect solution - a financial incentive to bring your own bag, or a charge to have a supermarket-provided one. It seems such a simple solution - why can't the NSW State Government legislate likewise? Either they are in the pockets of powerful vested interests, or they are too stupid. Shame on them.
Labels: Australian politics, environmental issues in Australia, NSW State Labor Government
posted by Crema-editor at 6:32 PM
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