Massey University professor to give Whanganui presentation on New Zealand's role in ending plastic pollution

Dr Trisia Farrelly will give a presentation in Whanganui on New Zealand's role in combating global plastic pollution. Photo / Supplied

An academic who is part of the negotiations for a global plastics pollution treaty will speak in Whanganui on New Zealand's role in ending plastic pollution.

Dr Trisia Farrelly is an Associate Professor at the School of People, Environment and Planning at Massey University, as well as a member of the United Nations Environment Programme's expert group on marine litter and microplastics.

As part of Whanganui's Plastic Free July events, Farrelly will give a presentation in the Davis Lecture Theatre at 7pm on July 21.

Farrelly said her presentation would give an overview of the pathway to the United Nations Global Plastic Pollution Treaty and the role Aotearoa could play in contributing to the negotiations of the treaty.

At the fifth meeting of the United Nations Environmental Assembly (UNEA-5.2), which took place from February 28 to March 2 this year, countries across the world agreed to work together on a new global agreement on combating marine plastic litter and plastic pollution.

In November Farrelly will attend a meeting in Uruguay, the first of several for the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC), where attendees will negotiate the priorities of the treaty with countries and other major groups from across the world.

She will specifically speak about New Zealand's international obligations, and how to ensure New Zealand does not further contribute to plastic pollution in other countries.

Plastic Free July includes nine Whanganui events, based around raising awareness and changing people's bad habits with plastic consumption, from July 14 to July 30.

Plastic Free Whanganui's Margi Keys said the focus of this year's events was to educate people on doing more with plastic items than just recycling.

"Recycling is the last thing. You need to be thinking, what could this be used for instead of putting it in the rubbish bin; could somebody else use it?"

Keys said rather than just recycling plastic, people should instead look to repair, rethink, reuse and repurpose their plastic items.

Plastic Free Whanganui is hosting two plastic repair café sessions where people can repair their plastic items rather than throw them out.

The sessions will be held in the courtyard of the Community Arts Centre at 10am-1pm on Saturday, July 16, and Saturday, July 23, with it being moved to the Aura Room if it is raining.

Keys will hold a morning tea in the Harakeke Room of the Whanganui Resource Recovery Centre at 10am on July 19, which she said would involve sharing information and ideas in a more casual setting on how people could reduce their plastic consumption.

"Refuse the single-use plastic bag, refuse the single-use plastic containers that you get your takeaways in, for example, take a keep-cup instead of getting your coffee in a disposable cup," she said.

"All of these changes that you can make to your behaviour will reduce the amount of plastic."

Other events taking place for Plastic Free July are a school holiday art session at Majestic Square at 10am on July 14, beeswax wrap workshops at the Kai Hub in St Hill St at 12-2pm on July 15 and 4.30-6pm on July 27.

There will be a wooden toy buy/sell/swap/repair event at the Whanganui River Markets at 11am-1pm on July 30.

More information about Plastic Free July can be found on the homepage of Sustainable Whanganui's website https://sustainablewhanganui.org.nz/.