Why are single-use plastic bags so bad?
+Non-renewable resources (crude oil, gas and coal) are used to make them.
+Disposal is difficult - most are not recycled. In Whanganui, three tonnes goes to the landfill annually. Plastics breakdown but they never biodegrade.
+Plastic bags damage the environment. They disintegrate into microplastic and enter the food chain; they kill millions of sea birds, sea mammals and many fish either by being mistaken for food and eaten or by trapping them. They can block drains which in turn can cause flooding and increase the risk of mosquito-borne disease.
+It harms our "Clean Green" NZ brand which is estimated to earn us around $20 billion a year.
So keep an eye out for the students fashionable tote bags - hopefully they will be seen around town doing their job, full of togs, library books, groceries, sports gear, or a delicious lunch.
Any schools interested can contact Sietske Jansma or Andrea Gardner at education@sarjeant.org.nz. All of the Sarjeant programmes are free for schools and are funded by the Ministry of Education and the Whanganui District Council.