Ecotone Vol32 No4 - CAFNEC

CREATING A PLASTIC-
FREE PARADISE
BY ANNA MCGUIRE
CAFNEC recently kicked
off the Think Outside
the Bag campaign, to
encourage a phase-out of
plastic bags in a couple
of trial areas in the far
north. One of these
areas is Port Douglas,
where we’re excited
to be working with
the Douglas Shire
Sustainability Group
and Tangaroa Blue.
Think Outside the Bag
is about encouraging
shoppers and businesses to
shift away from a disposable bag culture
and towards reusable bags. This transition makes a
lot of sense both economically and environmentally,
particularly as our local economy relies on nature
based tourism.
Our work so far has focussed on finding creative
ways to communicate our message and encourage
community participation in the project.
Recently in Port Douglas we ran a competition for
local residents to design an image for a Port Douglas
reusable shopping bag. Congratulations to competition
winner, Jenni Fox, who created a beautiful underwater
design. Keep an eye out for these bags which will be
printed and ready to go early in the new year.
Local Cairns artist Kevin Mayo has kindly helped out
with the project and created an impressive window
display at Community Foods cooperative in Cairns. It’s
a glowing and intriguing world of plastic, so stop by
the shop at 74 Shields St and have a look if you haven’t
already.
As part of this project we’re also pushing for a statewide
ban on single-use disposable plastic shopping
bags. You can join the growing number of people
supporting this idea by signing our petition at www.
cafnec.org.au.
A bit about bags….
If you think it’s not your plastic bags ending up in the
oceans, think again: our plastic bags can ‘escape’ from
bins, waste trucks and landfill sites and end up in our
rivers and oceans via stormwater drains. So each plastic
shopping bag that we use might just end up in a sea
turtle’s stomach.
Confused by ‘degradable’ versus ‘biodegradable’
The ‘degradable’ plastic bags·
that are commonly used in supermarkets
are still made from petrochemicals and
are not necessarily any better for the
environment. These bags have an additive
that makes them break apart more quickly
when exposed to direct sunlight or heat.
They do not biodegrade, but instead break
apart into smaller and smaller plastic pieces
which accumulate in the environment
‘Biodegradable’ bags are not·
made of petrochemicals, but are instead
made of plant starch, often corn. These
bags biodegrade, meaning that they break
down into natural elements like carbon and
water. They can still pose a threat to marine
life if they end up in the sea, but are a better
option than regular plastic bags.
Where do plastic bags go for recycling
You can take your plastic bags to major supermarkets
for recycling. From there they are transported to
Brisbane, then overseas (usually to China) for recycling
into low grade plastic items. Recycling your plastic bags
is better than putting them in the bin, but beware: the
process is not as environmentally friendly as you might
think — it involves a lot of energy, emissions, heat, and
chemicals, and the end product is always of poorer
quality than the original material.
So what’s the solution
The best choice is to take your own reusable bag
when you go shopping. Using a reusable bag of any
description is environmentally better than using
disposable plastic bags. Natural fibre reusable bags
(such as cotton or bamboo) are the best option.
Take action!
Sign our petition to make Queensland plastic bag
free! South Australia, the Northern Territory and
the ACT have already banned single use disposable
plastic shopping bags and we can too.
Help us put Queensland on the map – sign the
petition at www.cafnec.org.au
Why go bag free
The average plastic bag is used·
for about 12 minutes but takes up to 1,000
years to break down
Plastic kills 1 million sea birds·
and 100,000 sea mammals each year
Australians use over 4 billion·
plastic bags each year, most of these ending
up in landfill, contributing to growing waste
disposal problems.
But it’s not my plastic bags choking turtles!
16