TOKO is winding down, but in its place is GREENPEACE COMMUNITY!

Every year, up to 8.3 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans. That’s a truckload every minute! It is killing marine life and threatening precious ecosystems. The sea is choking and can’t cope. Plastic bags and micro-plastics among many other sorts are directly linked to killing marine life like turtles and dolphins, which mistake them for food and eat them. Together, we can turn the tide. As a first step, we are calling on people to start their own campaign with the support of us here at Greenpeace.

Aotearoa New Zealand has a waste problem that we can’t recycle our way out of. Single-use disposable serviceware belongs to the outdated ‘take-make-dispose’ linear economy, which accelerates our global and local waste crisis, fills up our landfills to produce methane and toxic leachate, and increases litter pollution. Extracting natural resources to make endless streams of single-use items is also unsustainable in the face of resource depletion and climate change, which threaten the planet’s mauri (life-force) and our mauri as descendants of the planet. We need visionary personal, business and policy solutions that prevent and reduce waste in the first place, and that replace throwaways with non-toxic reusable alternatives that work for all people. These upstream solutions will create less waste and fewer greenhouse gas emissions than recycling, composting or landfilling. Transitioning to a circular economy won’t be easy; it makes sense to start with low-hanging fruit. While some single-use items remain unavoidable for some applications (such as certain medical contexts, accessibility needs or civil emergencies), most single-use disposable serviceware for food and drink is relatively easy to prevent if we choose to reuse. Many individuals, businesses and communities in Aotearoa New Zealand are already embracing reusables. We can take this further and mainstream reuse with Government policy that removes throwaway options and replaces them with scaleable and accessible reusable alternatives. We recognise that single-use disposable serviceware often has accessibility-friendly characteristics that enable the independence of people with access needs, including the disabled community, the elderly and young children. Reusable alternatives must balance environmental outcomes with the need to maintain and promote accessibility. Government and business must work meaningfully alongside people with access needs to design products and reuse systems that incorporate universal design principles to function well for everyone. For more information, see the Takeaway Throwaways campaign website. *The time to be bold is now. Ko tēnei te wā.* Until recently, phasing-out throwaway food and drink packaging and serviceware would have seemed radical. However, times are changing. New Zealanders want more action on waste. Banning plastic shopping bags was a first step. New proposals to phase-out PVC and polystyrene takeaway cups and containers prove the Government’s willingness to take action on waste. The time has come to be more ambitious: we must tackle the root of the problem, which is the single-use mindset, not the particular materials involved. The Government has a role not only in taking away a wider range of throwaways, but in boosting the availability and uptake of accessible reusables. When combined, these two actions have the power to mainstream reuse. Ultimately, we are all responsible as kaitiaki for Aotearoa New Zealand and the global environment we depend upon. With integrity, determination, and a collaborative and inclusive spirit we can transform how we serve food and drink ‘on the go’, move our country towards true circular, zero waste solutions, and cast ourselves as a bold, global leader committed to a healthier, greener, more caring and connected world. Follow the Takeaway Throwaways campaign and get involved: www.takeawaythrowaways.nz www.instagram.com/takeawaythrowaways www.facebook.com/takeawaythrowaways

Bees and other pollinators are facing a raft of challenges right now, including pests, diseases and loss of habitat, but they are also threatened by the widespread use of pesticides, including those containing neonicotinoids. Neonicotinoids are a family of neuro-active insecticides. Neonicotinoids have been found to do chronic damage to bees. Effects include; impaired sense of smell or memory, reduced fecundity, altered feeding behaviour, difficulty in flight, decreased ability to navigate to and from food sources. Neonicotinoids also disrupt bees' immune systems, making them susceptible to viral infections to which the bees are normally resistant. They have also been found to impact earthworms, birds and other beneficial insects. Other countries have already banned or suspended the use of neonicotinoid insecticides, and some retailers here (The Warehouse and Placemakers) have already stopped selling products containing these chemicals. But products containing them are still for sale in many garden centres, supermarkets and hardware stores around New Zealand. We would like for these retailers to agree to stop stocking these products and we think if enough gardeners agree, those other retailers might listen. I am not suggesting this would solve all the problems bees face. But I think there is no downside and a real upside to reducing our use of these chemicals. Plus it is something we can do now. And I for one don’t want to end up wishing we had done something sooner.