Bag ban a win for coastline
Environmental groups hail decision as helping to protect our precious marine life
ENVIRONMENTAL groups are celebrating a ban on plastic bags and say a significant part of the Far Northern coastline will better off.
The Waste Reduction and Recycling Amendment Bill passed in Parliament on Tuesday to ban plastic shopping bags and introduce a container collection scheme on July 1 next year.
Environmental groups are chalking the ban up as a win for marine animals.
Environmental group Tangaroa Blue managing director Heidi Taylor said the ban meant fewer animals would come into contact with lifethreatening plastic bags.
“When you look at the data of beach clean-ups it looks like plastic bags only make up a small percentage of litter, but when you look at fragments of those bags it’s a much more significant impact,” she said. “Turtles are significantly affected by plastic bags, but once the bags are ripped up and turned into strips they can be eaten by just about any animal and can get tangled on sea birds.”
Cairns local Thomas Ferriday worked as a fisherman for 20 years and has seen the devastation caused by plastic bags along the Far Northern coast.
“I’ve walked along the beach through bags that are two feet deep,” he said.
“It’s killing the environment. I’ve seen probably two dozen dead turtles floating in my career. It’s all getting into our ecosystems, that’s why I totally support a ban.”
Environment Minister Steven Miles said passing the Bill gave children hope for their future.
“Many of the most passionate advocates for these reforms are Queensland schoolchildren. By passing this Bill we say to our young people that we value our wildlife, especially our marine creatures like turtles, sea birds and dugongs,” he said.