06 MARCH 2018 The Great Eastern Mail TamboBluffLandcareCoastcareGroupareouttoeducatelocalsofthe effectsourplasticwastehasonbirdandmarinelife...andonourselves Autumn Must-Haves Caffe Latte Jeans $99.00 Long Knit Cardigan $99.00 Denim Jacket $99.00 willow 23 Myer Street, Lakes Entrance Ph: 0414 997 744 A BRILLIANTLY sunny day with the calm blue water of Bancroft Bay was the perfect backdrop for the various stall holders at the Metung Market held on the Village Green on March 10. Among the stall holders was the local Tambo Bluff Landcare Coastcare Group who held an informative, educational display, high- lighting the dangers that plastic waste, particularly single use plastic bags, are causing to our bird and marine life, not only locally but nationally and internationally as well. Coming in the wake of the announcement by the major supermarket chains that they are phasing out plastic bags by the middle of 2018, and the already successful push of townsfolk and councils throughout Australia to eliminate plastic bags for the future of the environment, the TBLC members felt the Thebagscontainedacolouring sheet of marine life, word searches and other fact sheets on some of the problems that arise due to the amount of waste floating in our marine waterways and oceans. Some lucky adults received free hessian shopping bags. Both giveaways displayed the catch phrase ‘I choose to reuse’. Also on display as an alternative to plastic, were some reusable produce bags for fruit and vegetable around the lakes. The contents found at Eagle Point consisted of a plastic bag that had been eaten along with their usual feed of sea grass. Tambo Bluff Landcare Coastcare is hopeful of the future acceptance in Metung and the wider community to alternatives to plastic, to ultimately preserve the unique marine environment that we love so much. If you plan to visit your local shops, bring along your own carry bags and help reduce the waste that impacts so heavily on our birds, seals, dolphins, turtles, and the other creatures that call the waterways their home. We would like to acknowledge support on the day from the EGSC, EG Landcare Network, Coastcare Victoria and the Marine Mammal Foundation. time was right to campaign for the return of Metung’s former status of being the first Victorian coastal town to be plastic bag free. Eight million metric tonnes of plastic waste enters the open oceans every year and is predicted to double in the next ten years. Australians dump 36,000 tonnes of plastic bags every year, which equates to 4,000 bags per minute. Volunteers gave away 200 paper carry bags to children. shopping, fresh bread bags, lunch wrap (all made from recycled plastic bottles), and a reusable take away coffee cup. These items were also given away to many folk on the day. These alternative products are available online from brands like onyalife.com and several of the visitors who chatted with the volunteers were already using these or similar products, which was encouraging and proved that the desire to seek alternatives to plastic bags is gaining momentum. There was much interest shown in the pictorial display. The visual impact of a dolphin’s demise due to ingesting two plastic shopping bags was confronting and brought home the reality that marine life face every day. Other photos showed how fishing nets, hard plastic waste, fishing lines, balloons, rope and other soft plastics were instrumental in killing and maiming the marine creatures that form an integral part of the seascape that we love so much. One million plastic bottles are bought around the world every minute, a single plastic bottle in the ocean can break up into 10,000 pieces of microplastic which are particles less than 5mm in length. These tiny pieces are mistaken for food and once in the stomach of marine animals can cause starvation. Also,astaticdisplayshowed the regurgitated stomach contents of a Black Swan, one of the iconic seabirds seen Didyou know? 70%oftheoxygenwe breatheisproducedby marineplants.Ourocean isprecious. These microplastic beads really DO help exf oliate your skin...