New Zealand is currently in the top 10 per-capita producers of landfill waste globally.
They are making an effort to change this by announcing a ban on single-use plastics. This includes cotton buds, straws, bags, fruit labels, and cutlery.
According to The Guardian, people in New Zealand throw away 159g of plastic waste per person daily.
Every day, New Zealanders throw away an estimated 159g of plastic waste per person, making us some of the highest waste generators in the world. (The ban will be phased between 2022 and 2025 would) ensure we live up to our clean, green reputation.
David Parker, Environment Minister, New Zealand
This is not that first time New Zealand has taken a bold step against single sue plastics. The country has already banned most of the single use plastics back in 2019.
While the ban is a big step in the right direction, Prof Terri-Ann Berry, the director of Environmental Solutions Research Centre at Unitec, says that it doesn’t account for the largest producers of plastic waste. She claims that construction and demolition account for 50% of landfill waste in New Zealand.
Many other countries also have a ban on single-use plastic, such as the UK, the EU, and some US states.
Let’s hope this list will expand soon, and the countries will also account for the biggest plastic waste producers.