Two keen environmentalists have called on Port Macquarie-Hastings Council to take a stand against single-use plastic bags.
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Maria Doherty and Linda Perkins started the Ban the Bag - Reuse the Bag campaign in the Hastings.
The campaign aims to raise awareness about plastic bag waste and the resulting environmental damage, and garner support to motivate the council to act too.
Ms Doherty, flanked by Ms Perkins, and with supporters in the crowd, addressed the June 21 council meeting.
She told the councillors they stood before them presenting a huge opportunity for the council to distinguish itself as a socially conscious and environmentally sustainable leader for NSW.
“It is inevitable that NSW will ban the bag,” Ms Doherty said.
“If we jump aboard now and become the first in NSW to ban the bag, we will put Port Macquarie-Hastings on the map.
“If we are the first, we will promote Port Macquarie as an environmental leader.
“If we are the first, we will distinguish Port Macquarie as a beautiful pristine place to live and to visit.”
Ms Doherty said if we were the first, we would influence others to take action.
“There is only one opportunity to be first,” she said.
“No one will remember the second.”
Cr Rob Turner posed a question for the next council meeting.
He asked the general manager, Craig Swift-McNair, to provide information about how the council could assist in reducing the use of single-use plastic bags in the community.
Australians use about 4.6 billion single-use plastic bags a year.
Ms Perkins said the real issue was littering with about half a billion bags entering the Australian litter system every year where they had a profound impact on the environment.
“They litter our landscape, enter our waterways and rivers and pollute our oceans, killing birds, whales, dolphins, sea turtles and fish,” she said.
Ms Doherty and Ms Perkins would like the council to take a range of actions.
They include developing educational material and ensuring all council-owned or controlled businesses and commercial activities eliminate the availability of non-biodegradable single-use plastic bags.
Ms Doherty and Ms Perkins would also like the council to act to ensure retailers in the Hastings do not provide their customers with single-use non-biodegradable plastic bags.
A petition, in support of the Ban the Bag - Reuse the Bag campaign in the Hastings, has attracted more than 1500 signatures.
The petition will be presented to the council on July 19.