News: Western Australia 'considering' Banning Straws
The Western Australian Government is ‘considering’ a bill to ban plastic straws.
Source: futureoftheocean.wordpress.com
Following lobbying from The Greens, WA Premier Mark McGowan told ABC radio that his government is considering banning plastic straws.
As of 1st July, single-use, non-bio-degradable plastic bags will be banned state-wide. And straws could soon see the same fate.
‘Plastic [is] the enemy of the Earth,’ McGowan said in a radio interview ‘…I’ve thought this for years because I’ve seen the impact on marine life.’
Over 10 million plastic straws are used a day in Australia alone. While lobby groups like The Last Straw (www.laststraw.com.au/) are pressuring the government to ban them, Environment Minister Stephen Dawson has previously shown he doesn’t support a ban on plastic straws.
Straw alternatives include re-usable metal or bamboo straws, or paper ones which can be recycled.
McGowan is also assertive for a wider plastic ban, labeling all disposable plastics are ‘shocking’.
‘I’ve authorised the Environment Minister to look at what further initiatives we can take to ban plastic across our community,’ The Premier informed the ABC.
One of these proposed initiatives is a container deposit scheme. Wherein consumers receive a 10-cent refund for returning plastic containers, much like the can and bottle recycling system that has seen nationwide success.
Sustainability: 3 Simple Changes You Can Make - http://www.steemit.com/nature/@jordan.white306/sustainability-3-simple-changes-you-can-make
Amongst the movement against single-use coffee cups, however, McGowan was seen on social media holding a plastic coffee cup – one of one billion that ends up in Australian landfill each year. Social media users were vocal about this and urged him to invest in a keep cup.
Sources:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-12/plastic-straw-ban-being-considered-by-wa-government/9860930
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-02-03/takeaway-coffee-cups-piling-up-in-landfill/7136926
I like the bottle return system. War on waste showed a German system that has the manufactures pay the 10cents. I think is time that we recognise that when a company choose to use plastic they need to pay a price for the environmental damage they cause. The same should apply to all business who use anything that damages our environment. Ie air pollution, plastics, chemicals,.
It's our societys environment and if a company wants to increase its profits at the expense of our environment then they need to pay us for it
100% totally well said. There are huge environmental externalities that are not being paid!
Nice post, thanks! These proven and successful initiatives desperately need to be replicated in Peru and the world RIGHT NOW