Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697635003652.pdf (Australia)
Inquiry into the threat of marine plastic pollution in Australia and Australian waters.

Senate Standing Committee on Environment and Communications To Whom It May Concern, Thank you for the opportunity to express my views about plastic pollution, including marine pollution.

It has been a concern to me for many years.

I believe that regulations to protect our health and the health of our land and water resources, have not addressed the problems caused by plastic.
Marine plastic pollution seriously threatens marine species and habitats.

Most plastic that enters waterways, begins as some form of packaging or container.

My concerns are; 1, So much plastic is not recycled or reused, becoming an environmental hazard for the future.

2, When plastic is shipped overseas for recycling, it is sometimes burnt causing air pollution and poisonous fumes.

3, The processes to recycle plastic are polluting.


4, Some plastics should not be allowed to be produced -­‐ they cause poisonous residues or they cannot be recycled.

5, No one has stepped in to stop the production of microbeads.

They are disastrous for the marine environment.

(California will be the first to act, at last.

1.)

6, The garbage gyres in the oceans, which are mostly plastic and microplastic, are poisoning marine species and threatening the long term health of the oceans.
7, Plastic pollution is killing wildlife on land and in water.

8, Plastic bottles litter our parks, roadsides, beaches and make them uninviting.

9, This plastic gets into waterways, much of it migrates to the bays and oceans.

Then over years it becomes microplastics that are killing so much marine wildlife.

10, Plastic litter costs the community.

Councils must pay to clean it away and take it for recycling or to landfill.
11, Plastic cups, eating utensils and food containers go to landfill as do any plastic from rubbish bins, because being polluted with food, they cannot go to recycling.

This costs the community in landfill that does not decompose.

12, Billions of single-­‐use plastic supermarket bags are used for just a few minutes, by the billions, in Australia alone every year.

Marine species are suffering because such a foolish thing is allowed.
13, The Packaging Covenant Council has only looked after the profits of its business members.

It is totally compromised and is a waste of money.

It needs to be abolished.

It has not achieved any of its aims.

It has done nothing significant to reduce the use of undesirable types of packaging, to reduce the overuse of packaging, or to make packaging more environmentally friendly or better able to be recycled.

It is not in favour of any measures that might impact on the profits of business.
It has not advocated any measures that would ask business to take any responsibility for their products.

(Light-­‐weighting plastic bottles means less cost for transport.

It is not something to boast about as its greatest achievement!)

Companies making plastic products, for too long have got away with their actions that endanger our future on the planet.

Like cigarette companies, they have not had to take any responsibility for the harm they cause.
Not only do they pollute the planet, but they freely harm the planet without paying a cent toward fixing the problems they are causing.

They are not even required to take back their plastic to reuse or recycle it or even dispose of it.

The rest of the community has to pick up the bill for it.

1 Threat of marine plastic pollution in AustraliaSubmission 50 We need our government to legislate.

1, I believe, like many others, single use plastic bags must be banned Australia wide.
2, Australia must have a nation-­‐wide drink container refund system as does South Australia and Northern Territory.

Different systems in different states would be ridiculous.

It’s time the federal government told company lobbyists they have lost this battle.

Plastic drink containers, drinking straws, plastic lids and other bits of plastic, are the most frequent litter item that I see along beaches and waterways.
I have been an observer of litter for many years and I have taken part in dozens of litter clean ups in Victoria and NSW.

(2 years ago at Phillip Island, I could have picked up thousands of tiny pieces of plastic and dozens of plastic bottles, all in just a 200 metre section at the end of the beach.

I haven’t been back since but I guess it’s all there again and more now.)

Whenever we go camping or just walking in national parks of other parks, I cannot help myself picking up litter.
I know that small drink containers and the straws and lids that go with them are the most common item of litter in those areas also.

I have observed plastic packaging gradually replacing cardboard, paper, cloth, string, wood and tin.

We used to wrap bread, biscuits, meat, cereals, grains, and all foods in paper, cardboard, cloth or recyclable glass or tin.

Whitegoods came in cardboard or wooden boxes.

Now they are wrapped in plastic with foam cushioning.
Liquids only came in reusable or recyclable glass or tin.

Building products were tied with rope or wire – now it’s plastic wrapping.

Now, whenever you buy any product, whether it’s in the supermarket, bakeries, butchers and virtually any store, it uses plastic packaging of some kind – even if it’s inside the cardboard outer.

Selling a single muffin (in Safeway) in its own individual plastic cup with plastic lid is, I think, morally wrong!
(Remember -­‐ flour bags, potato sacks, biscuit tins, sultana boxes, coka-­‐cola glass bottles collected at the milk bar, etc.)

-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐-­‐ Plastic pollution in the oceans must be addressed urgently.

Most plastic that enters the ocean began as some form of packaging or container.

Current measures to deter littering of these are useless.
Effective measures to control packaging do not exist in Australia.

We must have strong regulation such as; • a drink container deposit scheme, • ban single use plastic bags and • effective regulation managed by an environmental organization to reduce packaging and to regulate types of packaging.

(Not business and industry ‘self regulating’ as with the NPCC).

Abolish the NPCC and use those funds for an effective body.

1.

California and microbeads.


On Sept 4th, the California State Senate passed landmark legislation banning the use of plastic microbeads in personal care products.

Now it's on to the Governor's desk for his signature.

This legislation marks a huge turning point in efforts to stop billions of these plastic beads from entering our oceans, bays, lakes and rivers every day.

Companies like Johnson & Johnson and Proctor & Gamble fought tooth and nail to keep Californians from passing a strong bill.
They knew that because of California's size and history of pioneering environmental protections, that this bill would become the global standard, affecting markets around the world.

http://storyofstuff.org/blog/microbeads-­‐movie-­‐ press-­‐release/ Yours Sincerely, Marion Cook 2 Threat of marine plastic pollution in AustraliaSubmission 50 Mrs Marion Cook 3 Threat of marine plastic pollution in AustraliaSubmission 50