Statistics show that one in three turtles found on our coast are dead. Two out of three turtles found dead have anything from traces to stomachs full of plastic. One third of all turtles found have plastic in their stomachs. Not only are our local and passing turtles affected but other animals as well. There have been birds nest found bound together with plastic materials. Trees and other plants, foreign and native, have been smothered by plastic bags.
These plastic bags are cutting off these plants source of food, they are stopping growth and killing our plants. Our animals are dying. Do you want to eat fish that have stomachs full of plastic bags and micro beads. The government finally gave in and removed micro beads from the market, but in a effort to reduce the effects of plastic bags we have caused a bigger problem. Biodegradable plastic bags have been released and are commonly available at supermarkets and shops. These may have seemed like a solution to this problem, but they do not break down in air or in your rubbish bin. These bags need to buried in order to degrade, but they are just pushed around on massive piles of other rubbish. There is so much evidence to show that plastic bags in there whole form are damaging to our ecosystem and animals. But now they are biodegradable. Biodegrade means breaks down into smaller pieces. this means that not only are our larger species at risk but also our smaller ones.
We need to remove plastic bags from New Zealand and that doesn't mean replacing soft plastics with harder, heavier plastics. Tests conducted in Australia, showed that their quick fix of replacing light plastic for something heavier, made no changes to the impact they had. Many retailers over the ditch, doubled the thickness of plastic bags, but they were still carelessly thrown away, in the bin, on the ground, even in water. A big step to send us in the right direction would be to remove plastic bags altogether, and replace them with something more eco-friendly, and recyclable. Paper was great as a use for bags. They breakdown quickly and completely. they are also recyclable no matter how thick or thin and no matter what shape. Plastic bags take years, decades even to breakdown and they can only be recycled in some forms and thicknesses.
When plastic bags snag in trees they reduce the amount of sunlight that makes it into the tree. This means that trees cannot photosynthesize properly, this can lead to a malnourished tree. If wrapped around trunks, branches and leaves it can stop growth and kill the tree slowly. In my back yard recently, there was a tree partly wrapped in plastic, with the plastic there the tree began to die. Water was not flowing from the roots properly, and the tree was drooping with the leaves dying off. This is not the only tree, there are trees everywhere that die because of plastic. Bags caught in the breeze aren't the only problem either. Traces of plastic are found in so many places buried in the ground. for little plants this is harmful. These bags are trapping the roots and the trees and plants are dying from dehydration. Any gardener can tell you how harmful it is to plant something while it is still in its plastic packaging, why bother planting it at all if you know it will die. The plastic in our soil will have the same effect. The plastic in our soil the sheer amount is disgusting, but what is horrible is how many plants and animals it will kill.
Our national icons, the kiwis are at risk. Kiwi birds forage for insects in the dirt, if our turtles can't tell plastic bags from jellyfish, than how will kiwis tell plastic from insects. They are already on the decline and this will only make them disappear faster. We need to clean up our land before it is too late. SO MANY turtles have been found near dead on our coast full of plastic. The biggest source of plastic comes from single use plastic shopping bags. Turtles digestive systems get blocked by these plastics and they starve slowly. This is a slow and excruciatingly painful death. Something needs to be done. These turtles are tortured, and put in indescribable pain and we get away with it. This is our fault and now it is our responsibility to stop it.
New Zealand Marine Ecosystem
- https://www.stuff.co.nz/environment/94277174/third-of-turtles-found-dead-on-new-zealand-beaches-had-ingested-plastic
- http://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2017/09/rare-turtle-dies-after-ingesting-litre-of-plastic.html
