Update
STILBAAI NEWS - The Environmental Campaigner at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town, Hayley McLellan visited Stilbaai on Monday 12 February to advocate saying no to the use of plastic bags at every opportunity.
McLellan also started the Rethink the Bag campaign in 2011 as a personal stance against the increasing plastic pollution.
"Plastic has many extraordinary and important uses in our modern-day world and I therefore practically support responsible production and consumption of this material," she says.
The bag she refers to is the 'ubiquitous plastic shopping bag' that is being labelled as our 'national flower'.
She visited Bertie Barnard Primary school, as well as Pikkewouter Pre-Primary school and talked about plastic pollution and the single use of plastic shopping bags.
She also showed them the alternatives like reusable bags and paper straws while the smaller kids at the pre-primary school learned about it by means of a story.
Businesses were invited to attend the talk at Lavender Social Café and although it was not that well attended, a few enthusiasts showed their support and were eager to continue the drive to have plastic shopping bags banned.
McLellan also presented re-usable shopping bags, made from parachute material, while bags from other material that can be bought at various retail outlets are the solution to plastic shopping bags that can never be destroyed or be done away with.
Hayley McLellan (far right) holding a reusable shopping bag made from parachute material, next to Ursula van Huyssteen holding a strong reusable bag. Sitting in front are Johan (left) and his mother, Sonja Rautenbach who are active with Stilbaai Coastal Clean-up. At the back Lavender Café owner, Janet Gormley (standing) has made her business available for the return of nurdles towards the end of 2017 with environmental enthusiast, Diekie Sabbagha, sitting next to her.
As customers have to pay for shopping bags at most retailers, it will also save them money in the long run to rather buy a reusable bag.
With International Plastic Bag Free Day on 3 July, she encouraged each and everyone to rethink the once-off use of plastic shopping bags and rather replaced it with reusable bags.
For more information, visit Rethink The Bag on Facebook.
Did you know
- In 2050 there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean?
- 8 billion plastic bags are being used per year in South Africa
- Rwanda has banned the use of plastic bags in 2008
- In South Africa, all the Bargain Books outlets have banned the use of plastic bags for more than a year now.
ARTICLE & PHOTO: ELZA THIART-BOTES, SUID-KAAP FORUM CORRESPONDENT
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