Go Eco

PLASTIC-FREE JULY
Words from Go Eco's Kaiwhakakaha Jo Wriggly

Jo Wrigley from Go Eco wrote this great story:

Last month I held plastic bottles like pēpi...I chose to because newborns, placentas, and even s***m have shown traces of plastic in testing. Microplastics (and nano plastics) are in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil we grow in, and the food we eat.

The fossil fuel industry is expanding rapidly, creating new chemical compounds to meet the growing demand for virgin plastic. Some days, the scale feels overwhelming.

Container return schemes and bottle deposits offer pathways of hope; they serve as educational tools. They help keep plastics in circulation, out of our kai and our awa. It's a practice that helps us commit to zero waste and a reuse system that helps keep plastics out of our pēpi too.

is a campaign by Zero Waste Network Aotearoa to get a container return scheme.

People of every political persuasion want it - we just need the political will to support it. Container return schemes aren’t just smart policy - they’re a public health investment.

Nearly 4 million containers are littered or landfilled across Aotearoa every day. By capturing plastic bottles before they can break down into harmful microplastics, we can help mitigate the potential health risks associated with these tiny particles, which are increasingly linked to inflammation, organ damage, and reproductive problems.

We must honour our responsibility to care for te taiao by supporting container return schemes that reduce waste, uphold kaitiakitanga, and keep bottles circulating instead of polluting whenua and moana.