​If you're a tea drinker, this one is for you. Standard square tea bags – used for teas such as Earl Grey, English breakfast and green tea – are "heat sealed", meaning that a thin film of polypropylene is applied to seal the two sides together. Their "string and tag with sachet" range also contains polypropylene and a small amount of acrylic co-polymer emulsion, a plastic-based glue that bonds the bags together.
The way tea bags are manufactured varies depending on the brand but about 70 to 80 per cent of bags are made from compostable paper while the remaining 20 to 30 per cent contains heat-resistant polypropylene. This is to prevent the bag breaking mid-dunk, but it does mean that small pieces of plastic mesh are left behind in the soil when you compost the bags.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plasticfree

Okay, let’s talk about what’s best for the kitchen bin.
Veronica Maree took this pic at Woolworths, and she's a little frustrated because of how deceiving and confusing this is for the regular shopper just trying their best to make a good decision at the checkout. Here is her great explanation:
Multix have come out with a ‘greener’ bin liner option. Looks great on the outside, but let’s break this down.
The top bag she's holding is labeled ‘plant based’. Okay, sounds positive right? Well, yeh that’s a positive, it also states that it’s “made from 60% plant-based material, a renewable resource from the sugarcane industry” which is indeed a great move, but if you look closely, it is also labelled as ‘degradable’. Now, degradable is not to be confused with ‘biodegradable’ because anything that is degradable will not fully break down into the soil when it ends up in landfill. Instead, it turns into tiny pieces of plastic that will never break down, continuing the micro plastics issue we currently face in our oceans. Probably not a great option.
Okay the second option, same brand, being Multix, same ‘greener’ bold labelling, but here are the differences.
Firstly, instead of ‘plant based’ labelling, they have it labelled as ‘compostable’. It also states that it’s ‘biodegradable’. This is where it makes ALL the difference. So compostable and biodegradable are sort of the same, but sort of not. To the average person, it would seem the same, but here are the slight differences. They both aim to break down safely into the earth, however, biodegradable is made for breaking down in landfills, and compostable is made with a specific set of requirements to break down safely in a compost. Usually the compostable bags are quicker to break down too. So if you were after a bag safe to put into your compost bin, we can understand how this could be confusing. We look closer on the back of the label and it is marked as “home compostable AS 5810 ABAP 20006” and “compostable AS 4736 ABAP 10060”. These numbers refer to the certification from the Australian Bioplastics Association. This is a good option to purchase, and they have different sizes to choose from, plus it is labelled as safe for composts too, so double great.
Lastly, Veronica wanted to shed light on another brand called ‘compost-a-pak”. These were so clearly marked compostable, with zero confusing labels. This is also certified and marked on the back of the label “compostable certification number AS 4736-2006 ABAP 10019” and “home compostable certification number ABAP 20001”. It also states under the headline “made from vegetable material and plastic free. Australian certified compostable”. This is so crystal clear and easy to understand, and Veronica wants to show the stark difference in the marketing and labelling. We have seen many people putting the first option on the conveyor belt at the checkout and we know those people are just trying to make the best decision, but it’s not fair that they’re being misled. She couldn’t find other sizes in this brand besides the one, but it’s still a very good option.
We hope this helps you make your decision a little easier when you go shopping next. Thank you Veronica for your great explanation!
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plastic

Many conservationists are raising alarm about growing ocean pollution caused by the increased waste created out of the coronavirus pandemic.
With a lifespan of 450 years, these masks and gloves are an ecological timebomb given their lasting environmental consequences for our planet.
A recent study in the Environment, Science & Technology journal estimates that 129 billion face masks and 65 billion gloves are being used each month.
Regarding COVID waste, of course we must favor reusable masks and gloves.
Shared from Angry Earth
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plasticfree

There was a bush rave party up at North Head Sanctuary last Saturday. They are "secret" parties with the location revealed the same evening at 11pm. We have been in contact with several concerned local community members - (many who spent their Sunday morning volunteering cleaning up this mess) as well as our local MP James Griffin who has kindly offered to take this investigation further with National Parks and Wildlife and our local police.
It is no exaggeration that we live in one of the most glorious part of the world here. North Head is one of our most treasured sacred jewels. It is our responsibility to honour and protect our beautiful sacred North Head National Park. These photos are only a blip of the extent of the damage found Sunday morning 5 July at Quarry/swamp on North Head walk (on track up from Shelly carpark that runs up to Blue Fish Drive).
To those many people who helped over the hours of Sun morning to scour through vast areas of destroyed shrubs, mud and filth to clean up - THANK YOU! 🙏 🙏🙏
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #loveManly #litter #trash #northhead

Microplastics have been discovered in apples, carrots, pears, broccoli and lettuce, studies have revealed. The tiny pollutants are thought to have been sucked into plants roots with water, and then travelled up the stem into the leaves and, where possible, fruits. Scientists have argued for decades that this was 'impossible', claiming they were 'too large' to fit through the pores in the roots.
Microplastics have previously been identified in meats including chicken, canned fish and shellfish. A separate study published this week found that plants containing microplastics grew smaller with shorter roots, reducing their yield and nutritional value. 'Today we're calling for an urgent investigation into what these toxins are doing to our health. Now more than ever we must listen to the scientists, not the plastic lobby.'
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plastic #microplastics

Little Green Turtle drowned in the last few days, caught in more than 20 individually snagged fishing lines in the one spot. You can see the lead sinkers of 6 of the lines. There are hundreds of kilometres of junked fishing line in the sea and tons of lead sinkers and lures. Discarded fishing line routinely entangles and kills birds, fish, turtles, frogs, and small mammals; and the hooks that are attached to the snagged line cause internal bleeding if swallowed. And if the hook is embedded in the tongue, which is typical, it prevents the animal from eating, leading to starvation until death finally occurs. Both common and protected species of birds are found with fishing line tangled around their legs, wings and beaks. The restricted ability of entangled wildlife to move leads to drowning, starvation, vulnerability to predators, infections and even limb amputation as the animal struggles against the line or embedded hooks. Monofilament fishing line is not biodegradable and therefore presents serious environmental hazards for years to come. Retrieve all snagged monofilament line wherever you fish, whether yours or others and dispose of it properly in trash containers.
This image was taken on Wednesday 24th June, 2020 by Ian Banks at The Gold Coast but we have similar issues on the northern beaches, even in our local reserve "Cabbage Tree Bay".
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #fishingsucks #turtle #plastic