Banning bags in Bondi

Waverley Council is set to phase out plastic bags in Bondi amid rising concern about plastic wastage in the area.

Councillor Dominic Kanak forwarded a motion last Tuesday banning single-use plastic bags in Bondi.

“The motion asked Council officers to investigate ways of making the Bondi Basin single-use plastic bag free,” he said.

“Many people in the community are becoming extremely concerned about the mounting quantity of plastic waste accumulating in the environment.”

The motion asked Council to “investigate and report on methods for removing plastic bags from the Bondi catchment, noting initiatives in other coastal council areas across Australia including Fremantle [in Western Australia]”.

Mr Kanak said: “As the lone remaining Greens [member] on Waverley Council … I will be seeking the support of my ALP, independent and Liberal councillor colleagues for this important initiative.”

The motion was put forward with community awareness continuing to grow on the issue.

Take 3 co-founder, Tim Silverwood said: “I think Waverley should be commended for their efforts to target problem litter and reduce rubbish entering our waterways and the ocean.” Operating since 2009, Take 3 is an initiative urging beachgoers to remove three pieces of rubbish when they leave.

Most recently groups including the Bondi Beach Responsible Runners have taken to cleaning up Sydney’s most iconic beach.

“In all my years of researching and documenting the plastic pollution issue I have never witnessed this level of interest,” Mr Silverwood said.

“These wonderful people are showing that they won’t sit around on their hands waiting for councils, businesses, corporations and the government to act whilst tonnes [of] rubbish enter our seas.”

Will Jones from the Marine Discovery Centre Bondi said the impact of plastic on marine life is huge.

“There are now some areas in the ocean where tiny fragments of plastic outnumber plankton six to one. It is a perverse situation where [sea creatures] are starving to death eating food-sized particles of plastic that they can’t digest,” he said.

Mr Silverwood said action at a community level needs to be reflected nationally.

“We have infected the sea to the point where plastic is now part of the marine food web and it kills over a million innocent creatures every year.”