A disgruntled Coles shopper has lambasted the supermarket over excessive packaging on her latest online order, branding it a “blatant disregard” for the planet. The customer, from Canberra, took to the supermarket giant’s Facebook page to express her discontent over the amount of fruit and vegetable bags used to package her fresh produce, despite requesting to have no bags.
“Having one onion or one lemon in a plastic bag is really not necessary and makes me quite furious about the waste and blatant disregard for the climate,” she said.
However a Coles spokesperson responded to the customer’s post online, saying it wasn’t possible to omit plastic fruit and vegetable bags for “health and safety reasons”.
“We can advise that plastic bags are essential to keep your items together during the shopping process, and are necessary for health and safety reasons with some products,” the spokesperson said.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plasticfree

​How many venues do you know that use plastic straws?
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plasticfree

Fines for dropping a cigarette butt in the ACT will increase dramatically from $60 to $500 while littering a coffee cup will incur a $150 fine under the ACT Government’s rigorous new littering laws.
Under the new laws that were passed in the ACT Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, small-items littering, such as tickets or food wrappings, will incur a $150 fine instead of $60.
A framework was also introduced for escalating offences, where penalties increase according to the volume, mass or nature of litter dumped. Dumping under 10 litres of litter will attract a $500 fine, 10 to 200 litres will attract a $1,000 fine, while 200 to 1000 litres will incur a $1,500 fine.
Cigarette butts are the most common form of litter on the planet, and have a significant impact on the environment, releasing toxic chemicals and microplastics. With a hotter and drier climate, cigarettes present a real fire risk to our bush capital, with 13 per cent of grass fires in the ACT started by cigarettes.
The ACT Government currently spends $3 million a year cleaning, with Access Canberra receiving 1,178 reports of illegal dumping during the first seven months of 2019.
#northernbeachescleanupcrew #litter

Most of the bottled water you buy is just glorified tap water. There are a few brands whose water really comes from springs and mountain streams, but most are just tap water that’s been purified.

• Only 1 out of 5 plastic bottles is recycled. The rest just becomes litter or get buried somewhere.
• It takes 1 PET plastic bottle 700 years to start decomposing. Bacteria, which usually helps in breaking down organic materials, don’t like petroleum based plastics. Technically, they can last forever.
• More than 100 million plastic bottles are used worldwide every day!
• 90% of the cost of bottled water is due to the packaging, not the water quality.
• 3 liters of water is used to package 1 bottle of water.
• •An estimate 1,500 plastic bottles end up as waste in landfills or thrown in the ocean every second.
• Plastic is listed as the number one threat to our marine ecosystem.

#northernbeachescleanupcrew #plastic #plasticfree

​We thought it was difficult to import food to Australia but we guess plastic wrapped food is easier because it's sealed. Do we need this?

The proliferation of single-use plastic around the world is accelerating climate change and needs to be urgently halted. Plastic production is expanding worldwide and plastic contributes to greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of its lifecycle, from its production to its refining and the way it is managed as a waste product. This plastic binge threatens attempts to meet the Paris climate agreement. It means that by 2050 plastic will be responsible for up to 13% of the total “carbon budget” – equivalent to 615 coal-fired power plants – says research.
After the extraction of fossil fuels to produce plastic, the carbon footprint of a material which has become ubiquitous across the globe continues through the refining process, and on well past its useful life as a drinks bottle or plastic bag, through the way it is disposed of and the plastic afterlife. Disposable plastic found in packaging and fast-moving consumer goods forms the largest and fastest-growing segment of the plastic economy. That's why "Northern Beaches Clean Up Crew" supports today's climate strike and hope that soon the production of single-use, disposable plastic will end - for us, for the oceans and for the future.

"Our coast, our mission" found a blue tongued lizard while cleaning up a dumped bean bag. The lizard was quite distressed with a mouth and throat full of beans. They rushed him to the Southcoast Animal Hospital and are happy to share that he has since been released back to his home.
This is a firsthand account of how a careless attitude towards plastic use can affect those around us. We have seen it locally too, especially around Curl Curl lagoon and Freshwater beach.

If we continue to dump plastic as we have done to date, the quantity floating on the surface could quadruple by the year 2050, and up to 231.6 million tonnes will have polluted the ocean as microplastics.
The picture is better if we stop releasing any plastic into the ocean from 2020. In that scenario, the volume of floating plastic would drop to 59% of its current levels. But the quantity of microplastics in the ocean would still more than double by 2050 as material already trapped in the environment degrades.
The problem will be with us for decades, the researchers write:
“Mitigating microplastic pollution in the global ocean requires two major components: (1) drastically reducing emissions of plastic pollution in the coming years and (2) actively engaging in removal operations of plastic waste from the marine environment to reduce further generation of secondary microplastics.
“Without proper handling and management of accumulated plastic waste, the legacy of the last 70 years of throw-away society will live on through the generation of ever smaller synthetic polymer fragments in soils, freshwater ecosystems and eventually the ocean.”
By: Mark Bruer

Roxy Jacenko, CEO at Sweaty Betty uses turtle killers to promote "fun" and sales. Balloons are in the top three most harmful waste items to wildlife. Birds and turtles not only ingest balloons, they actively select them as food. This is because a burst balloon often resembles a jellyfish, the natural food sources of many marine species like turtles.
Ingesting balloons, and the clips and strings attached to them, can cause intestinal blockages and results in a slow painful death through starvation. Marine animals don’t have the gastrointestinal pH levels to breakdown a balloon and for turtles, it may also cause floating syndrome. Trapped gases in the gut can cause a turtle to become buoyant, unable to dive for food—making them vulnerable to boat strikes and leading to starvation and severe dehydration.
Wildlife, both terrestrial and marine, can also become entangled in balloon ribbons or strings, causing injury or death through drowning, suffocation, or an inability to feed and avoid predators.
Even if balloons are disposed of "safely" they go to landfill where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water. Why are some organisations like this so stubborn in regards to using balloons as "advertising fun?
Even if these balloons are biodegradable, it's greenwash. Natural latex may be biodegradable, but after adding chemicals, plasticizers and artificial dyes, how natural could it be? It may degrade after several years, but it’s surely not “biodegradable.”

Bounce back to your childhood days with our 90's themed jumping castle says Westfields. Did jumping castles have these many balloons in the 90's? Do you think there would be better ways to promote this jumping castle than using balloons? Why do you think Westfields use balloons (turtle killers) to promote this event?
Balloons are in the top three most harmful waste items to wildlife. Birds and turtles not only ingest balloons, they actively select them as food. This is because a burst balloon often resembles a jellyfish, the natural food sources of many marine species like turtles.
Ingesting balloons, and the clips and strings attached to them, can cause intestinal blockages and results in a slow painful death through starvation. Marine animals don’t have the gastrointestinal pH levels to breakdown a balloon and for turtles, it may also cause floating syndrome. Trapped gases in the gut can cause a turtle to become buoyant, unable to dive for food—making them vulnerable to boat strikes and leading to starvation and severe dehydration.
Wildlife, both terrestrial and marine, can also become entangled in balloon ribbons or strings, causing injury or death through drowning, suffocation, or an inability to feed and avoid predators.
Even if balloons are disposed of "safely" they go to landfill where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water. Why are some organisations like this so stubborn in regards to using balloons as "advertising fun?
Even if these balloons are biodegradable, it's greenwash. Natural latex may be biodegradable, but after adding chemicals, plasticizers and artificial dyes, how natural could it be? It may degrade after several years, but it’s surely not “biodegradable.”

A massive thank you to all crew members who contacted Cancer Council Australia in regards to them using "turtle killers" (balloons) to promote Daffodil Day. Together we can create more awareness about the harm balloons do to our fragile environment and precious wildlife. Thanks to you, Cancer Council Australia removed all their balloons from the wharf. We would also like to thank Cancer Council Australia for showing that the care, not only for people but also for animals. We hope that next year, there will be no more balloons on Daffodil Day.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead 

Turtle killers used to promote "Daffodil Day" to raise funds for cancer research for humans while killing our precious wildlife and fragile environment. The little penguins that call Manly home are endangered and already face threats both at sea and on land. Do you think they can raise money without using balloons?
Waste Minimisation at Functions and Events Policy is Northern Beaches Council's policy and it requires event organisers to reduce their waste, promote sustainable procurement and increase recycling at public events held on Council property. The Policy and Guidelines BAN event organisers selling or distributing single-use plastics, BALLOONS, bottled water and single serve sachets.
Balloons are in the top three most harmful waste items to wildlife. Birds and turtles not only ingest balloons, they actively select them as food. This is because a burst balloon often resembles a jellyfish, the natural food sources of many marine species like turtles.
Ingesting balloons, and the clips and strings attached to them, can cause intestinal blockages and results in a slow painful death through starvation. Marine animals don’t have the gastrointestinal pH levels to breakdown a balloon and for turtles, it may also cause floating syndrome. Trapped gases in the gut can cause a turtle to become buoyant, unable to dive for food—making them vulnerable to boat strikes and leading to starvation and severe dehydration.
Wildlife, both terrestrial and marine, can also become entangled in balloon ribbons or strings, causing injury or death through drowning, suffocation, or an inability to feed and avoid predators.
Even if balloons are disposed of "safely" they go to landfill where it may take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leaching potentially toxic substances into the soil and water. Why are some organisations like this so stubborn in regards to using balloons as "advertising fun?
Even if these balloons are biodegradable, it's greenwash. Natural latex may be biodegradable, but after adding chemicals, plasticizers and artificial dyes, how natural could it be? It may degrade after several years, but it’s surely not “biodegradable.”

Imagine if shops and brands were fined for their products being littered?
It is estimated Australians use 1 billion disposable coffee cups each year. That's approximately 2,700,000 paper coffee cups thrown out every day!
Out of these it is estimated 50,000 disposable coffee cups (and their lids) find their way into landfill every 30mins!
If that needless waste frustrates you like it does us, you can make a difference (and encourage others) simply by BYO coffee cup. Together we can all be part of the solution!