Read on for important updates from the Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance, including new single-use plastic bans and an announcement of our upcoming end-of-year hui on December 11-12.

The Newsletter also showcases some of the incredible research and publications our APPA members have been working on over the past several months.

The post APPA Newsletter – Vol 1. / September 2022 first appeared on The Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance.

The post APPA Newsletter – Vol 1. / September 2022 appeared first on The Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance.

This study aims to seek ways to prevent marine plastic pollution leakage in New Zealand’s commercial fin fishing industry supply chains. Drawing on a case study approach, this research investigates how sea and land-based plastic material flows are perceived by those working for commercial fishing company Moana NZ. It considers current global, regional and national policies, as well as current initiatives that seek to minimise marine plastic pollution and considers the potential for their implementation in this context. This study also acknowledges the significant role that industry can play in implementing best practice guided by the top of the zero waste hierarchy.

Read the article here:

About the Authors

Freya Croft is a PhD student at the University of Wollongong Australia and an Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) Blue Charter Fellow. Ms Croft’s 2021 ACU Blue Charter Fellowship was hosted by Massey University’s Political Ecology Research Centre, NZ and supervised by Dr Trisia Farrelly.
Dr Trisia Farrelly is a Senior Lecturer in the School of People, Environment and Planning at Massey University and Co-Director of the Political Ecology Research Centre, and a member of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Ad Hoc Expert Group and the Scientific Advisory Committee (Marine Litter and Microplastics). Dr Farrelly is
also Co-Founder of the New Zealand Product Stewardship Council (NZPSC) and the Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance (APPA).
This report has been independently reviewed by Christina Dixon, Senior Ocean Campaigner, Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), Karen Baird, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme and Dr. Stephanie Borrelle, Birdlife International. The funding received from Waitrose and Partners for this programme is drawn from their 5p plastic bag levy which they are using for the public good with no commercial interest.

Citation: Croft, F. & Farrelly. T. (2021). Tackling the problem of marine plastic pollution in New Zealand’s fin fish industry. Case Study: Moana NZ. London: Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

The post New Report: Tackling Plastic Pollution in New Zealand’s Fin Fishing Industry first appeared on The Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance.

The post New Report: Tackling Plastic Pollution in New Zealand’s Fin Fishing Industry appeared first on The Aotearoa Plastic Pollution Alliance.

Take a walk down to your local stream or lake and have a look along the shoreline. Lift a few rocks or look behind some vegetation. Once you start to notice the litter you will start to see it everywhere.   Most marine plastics originate on land (~80%). When it rains, plastic and other pieces of rubbish are washed into waterbodies where rivers carry it to the ocean. You can see this plastic waste piled up in stormwater catchpits along the roads. Sometimes this waste is a result of littering and dumping while other times it is a result of carelessness. Plastic, intended for recycling or the landfill, can be carried by the wind and rain to nearby waterbodies. Increasingly, community litter clean-up events are focussing on freshwater habitats, particularly streams and rivers, to collect this waste before it makes it way to the ocean.

An Endeavour funded research project, lead by Amanda Valois, is currently underway to help understand the role of rivers in transporting plastic waste to the ocean. This project, a collaboration with University of Canterbury, ESR, and
Taranaki Whānui, uses the Kaiwharawhara catchment in Wellington as a case study. We are in the first year of our 3 year study. Find out more here.

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