Hitting out at plastic waste

WASTE: Felix Hirling. Photo / Supplied

Ohope's Felix Hirling is a core member of the national group Plastic Diet, a youth-led organisation dedicated to reducing single-use plastic waste and consumption.

Members work to promote awareness about plastic, believing a greater understanding is necessary for change. For Mr Hirling, who has just completed a mechanical engineering degree at Auckland University, the desire to be part of an organisation like Plastic Diet stemmed from summers at Ohope Beach.

"I grew up at Ohope and spent a lot of time surfing and on the beach," Mr Hirling said.

"In summer when the tourists arrived, there tended to be a lot more plastic on the sand and in the water which I found disappointing.

"People come to places like Ohope because they are beautiful but then appear to be okay leaving their rubbish behind."

When he began his tertiary education Mr Hirling was initially involved with Generation Zero, a youth-led organisation helping to provide solutions for New Zealand to cut carbon pollution through smarter transport, liveable cities and independence from fossil fuels. He is now immersed in Plastic Diet.

"We [Plastic Diet members] are currently in the organising stage of making a film where actors will go without plastic for an entire year," he said. "We are wanting to highlight the issue from the perspective of a young person and show how it can be fun."

He said many plastic documentaries focused on the negative while Plastic Diet was hoping to entertain while educating.

Plastic is also of concern to the Government, with Conservation Minister Nick Smith announcing a $1.2 million plan for plastic bag recycling.

New Zealanders dispose of around 40,000 plastic shopping bags in landfills every hour.

The money will be used for a recycling scheme, managed by the Packaging Forum, launched in Auckland early last month. Starting in Auckland and gradually spreading nationwide, patrons of New World, Pak 'n Save and The Warehouse stores will be able to deposit their soft plastic waste in carpark recycling bins.

Of the taxpayer subsidy, $510,000 will go towards a dry-cleaning facility in Auckland for the plastics.

However, many New Zealand councils have indicated they support a nation-wide levy on single-use plastic bags at point of sale.

The suggested levy received an 89 per cent vote in favour at the Local Government New Zealand conference in September.