As the Government mulls a nationwide ban on single-use plastic bags, dog owners in New Zealand are starting to wonder how it would affect their daily rituals – a walk, often accompanied by the picking up of their furry friend’s poo.
Rotorua is among the areas that have trialled free biodegradable poo bags, and now residents of other towns are calling for similar measures, Stuff reports.
"Every day I’m walking my dog and I use two or three bags," Blenheim resident Wendy Champion told Stuff of her Border Collie Shadow, suggesting her city council could provide a more eco-friendly alternative with proceeds from the annual dog registration fee.
"Just thinking that what he leaves on the ground would naturally decay in about three months but the plastic bag I put it in will probably outlast my dog – there must be a better product than plastic," she said.
Cabinet is waiting from advice from before they consider banning the bags. (Source: Other)
In recent months, both Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have signalled a ban on single-use plastic bags is imminent. It comes as New Zealand’s largest supermarkets chains, Countdown and New World, have volunteered to phase out single-use plastic bags at their check-out counters.
"I’m very eager to see that quickly," Ms Ardern said in June of a nationwide ban. "There’s obviously a huge issue that the globe is dealing with, that New Zealand needs to deal with, too."
The days of plastic bags for your groceries look to be nearly over. (Source: Other)
Compostable bags are among the alternatives "we should absolutely be considering," the Prime Minister said.
But the politicians have kept the details of a potential ban quiet, promising more information when a consultation document is released in the near future. Neither Ms Sage nor Ms Ardern have elaborated on how such legislation might affect the distribution of dog poo bags.
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