Earth Matters

Tackling Plastic Waste: Producer Responisibility + Plastic-Free July ‘…85% of Australians are hugely concerned about plastic pollution…We need our leaders to lead by example and show that the circular economy is possible…’ Birte Moliere, Packaging Campaign Lead, Boomerang Alliance This week Earth Matters speaks to Rebecca Prince-Ruiz, founder of the Plastic Free Foundation and Plastic Free July and Birte Moliere, Packaging and Product Stewardship Lead at the Boomerang Alliance about the solutions being actioned at community, national and international levels to reduce plastic waste.We hear how the Plastic-Free July challenge is reaching MPs in Parliament and what you can do to join the fight.More than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced every year worldwide, with an estimated 11 million tonnes ending up in water ways, damaging local ecologies and wildlife.Globally it is estimated that plastic kills one million seabirds and one hundred thousand sea mammals each year. Microplastics have been found in a whopping 94 per cent of oysters, and in Australia 62 per cent of fish have been found contaminated with these tiny particles. PFAS toxins are present in human breast milk, semen and blood.Plastics are also manufactured from fossil fuels, contributing to emissions and exacerbating climate change.The plastic problem is so great that the United Nations Environment Programme has dedicated this year’s World Environment Day to beating plastic pollution.