Letters: Time to stop talking about plastic and do something

How quickly can we eliminate plastic bags, asks one writer.

I was left slightly confused by Mark Story's closing plea (Editorial, May 15); "time for some perspective, methinks".

I assume him to be overall in favour of greatly reducing New Zealand's use of plastics.

With plastic bags being found in this planet's deepest undersea feature and the mind-blowing fact that every piece of plastic ever made still exists in some form, the question of eliminating as far as is possible our use of this material is not "should we" or "when should we" but "how quickly can we do this".

Easier options that could be implemented immediately have been mooted for too long; lose all use of single-use plastic bags (supermarkets I'm looking at you) and even easier, the ludicrous situation of using resealable plastic bags in the sale of lollies!

Other first world countries are striking out here (notably the UK), we need to be in that vanguard too.

WILLIAM WRIGHT
Glenholme

Job half done
I must ask you "why would you bother?" This question comes about after seeing a job half done. I'll fill you in with the details. A couple of months ago a car left the road on State Highway 30 on the Upper Atiamuri side of the hill on the left-hander about half-way down.

It ended up deep in the drain on the left-hand side. It took ages to get removed and on the day it did get taken away there were orange cones for miles, stop/go people and a salvage truck pulling it out.

This must have cost someone a bundle, but why did they leave all the plastic parts and the exhaust system bits laying on the site? Was it a case of "that's not my job"? Or that all those people just didn't care enough to complete the job properly?

So I'll ask again, "why would you bother?"

That stuff remains a week after the rest was taken away. Sack the slackers, they have no pride in a job well done, or at least make them go back and pick up that debris in their own time.

They have been paid once to do the job that would not have been hard to do completely.
ROD PETTERSON
Rotorua