Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Microbead policy a “good start”
17 August 2017
Microbead policy a “good start” - Greenpeace urges Government to ban the bags.
Greenpeace is welcoming the Government’s
latest announcement on microbeads as a good start.
The policy goes further than expected, widening the scope of banned products.
The new definition includes products such as body wash and toothpastes. It also includes anything that can be washed down stormwater drains, such as household cleaning products. However it doesn’t include makeup and that’s a miss.
The environmental organisation says the policy also falls short by not including “so-called” biodegradable microbeads, and nanoplastics, both potentially more toxic to marine life because of their minute size.
Greenpeace would encourage the Government to include these hazardous types of microbeads.
Research shows one in three turtles and thirty per cent of seabirds washed up dead on New Zealand’s shores have ingested single use plastics.
Off the back of this announcement Greenpeace is calling on the Government to take the next obvious step and ban the biggest offender in the oceans - supermarket plastic bags.
Ends
Gordon Campbell: On What’s Wrong With The Treaty Principles Bill
Ministry For Culture And Heritage: Reverberations Of Erebus Disaster Still Felt 45 Years Later
Watercare Services: No Cause For Concern After Slightly Elevated Levels Of Arsenic Detected In Treated Waikato River Water
Te Pāti Māori: Government’s First Year A ‘Catastrophe For Māori’
Department Of Internal Affairs: Samoan Citizenship Bill Passes Into Law
NZ National Party: National Acknowledges The Passing Of Hon Nikki Kaye
Mana Mokopuna: Children And Young People Share Vital Insights On Healing From Family Violence And Sexual Violence In New Report
