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Green Party Support in NZ
Greens bag plastic handouts
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New Zealanders use a billion plastic shopping bags every year and campaigners have joined forces with the Green Party to ask supermarket chains to reduce the number handed out to shoppers.
After successfully running an anti shopping bag day in Hong Kong, Angus Ho says he is shocked at the widespread use of plastic bags in NZ.
The Greens have invited Ho to help reduce the number of plastic shopping bags used locally. He suggests all supermarkets start charging for the bags.
"I feel shocked when I come to New Zealand and I see lots of plastic bags used by the people and people really don't realise the environmental cost."
Despite only making up a tiny proportion of the world's total waste the bags are an environmental problem because they end up blocking drains, flapping in trees and fooling sea creatures into eating them because they look like jellyfish.
Many people re-use bags as bin liners or nappy bags but Ho says that in Hong Kong newspapers are often used as a liner.
"They are just unnecessary, they are an absolute waste...a waste of resources, a waste of petroleum products...they create a toxic legacy for our children and they're also a cost for our supermarkets," says Green Party MP Nandor Tanczos.
The MP says when up to a billion plastic bags are used each year it is easy to reduce the numbers and make a significant difference.
The Greens are writing to every supermarket chain in the country urging them to pursue ways to cut down on the use of plastic bags.
Tanczos says Ireland has introduced a levy on plastic bags and Australia is considering the same. He says his Waste Minimisation Bill that is before parliament will provide a framework for a levy on plastic bags to be introduced in New Zealand as well.
Tanczos says he is not suggesting the introduction of a levy straight away and he would like to see what supermarkets can do voluntarily before going further.
Both of New Zealand's two big supermarket companies say they are working on the problem.
The town of Collingwood is plastic bag free and spokesperson Nicola Basham says locals have found alternatives.
"Generally what people do is use the other bags that you often find that you get in your shopping like the bread bag or the potato bag and use that in their bin but when you have a compost or a worm farm you get rid of a lot of the green waste."
British retailers get on board
British retailers have agreed to clamp down on plastic bags as part of the battle against global warming.
The agreement involves top retailers such as Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Sainsburys and Wal-Mart. They will encourage consumers to use fewer bags and re-use those that they already have.
Retailers will also switch over to recyclable carrier bags where they can.