Photo: Getty ImagesThe Government is pledging to rid the country of single-use plastic bags within a year's time. "Every year in New Zealand we use hundreds of millions of single-use plastic bags - a mountain of bags." Ms Ardern said many plastic bags end up polluting the country's coastal and marine environments and cause serious harm to all kinds of marine life. "Public calls for action have encouraged a significant number of retailers, including supermarkets, to move on single-use plastic bags. Retailers are also being told to consider alternatives to single-use plastic bags, including reusable bags in heavier-duty plastic, composite bags of hessian with other materials, and long-lasting bags made of lightweight nylon, cotton, recycled fabric or jute.

Source: Otago Daily Times August 09, 2018 23:22 UTC