Locals and visitors urged to reduce plastic waste in the environment Port POPUP - DAupdate Port Stephens by News Of The Area - Modern Media - January 11, 2024 Locals and visitors are being called on to keep an eye out for plastic waste. THE Christmas/New Year holiday period has prompted a huge influx of visitors to Port Stephens, with local environment advocates calling for care to be taken to stop plastic waste from impacting the natural environment. According to Take 3 For The Sea, an Australian charity, “Plastic waste is found everywhere in the world, from the highest mountain to the deepest ocean. Advertise with News of The Area today. It’s worth it for your business. Message us. Phone us – (02) 4981 8882. Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au “Unnecessary and avoidable plastics – single-use packaging and disposable items like plastic straws and food containers – are polluting the planet. “Many animals mistakenly ingest plastic believing it to be a food source. “This can cause injury, suffocation, starvation and often death.” The ‘Take 3 For The Sea’ initiative is a simple one – when you are out and about and see plastic waste in the environment, pick it up and dispose of it correctly. Repeat this process at least three times. Plastic Free Port Stephens representative Chontelle Grecian told News Of The Area, “With some big weather in recent weeks washing rubbish onto the beaches, plus an increase in the number of people on the beach, let’s work together as a community to take litter and plastics off our beaches by taking ‘3 for the sea’.” Sea turtles in particular are at risk of ingesting plastic, potentially leading to health impacts and death if treatment is not delivered swiftly. Chontelle also called on dog owners to clean up after their pets and put all the waste in the bin. EcoNetwork is an environmental advocacy organisation which is very active in the Port Stephens region. The EcoNetwork policy on plastics is to ‘Refuse, Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle’ all plastics. To that end, EcoNetwork is working with businesses that recycle plastics such as Resourceful Living, Salamander Bay Recycling Centre, and Deeps Engineering. These organisations create products from 100 percent post-consumer waste using recycled plastics; manufacturing furniture, homewares, and building supplies. “We believe that a circular economy can mean products can be manufactured, used, recycled, and reused more than once,” an EcoNetwork spokesperson said. “We can reduce the consumption of raw materials and ultimately recover all waste by using recycled products in the future.” By Marian SAMPSON
