A year into New Zealand’s ban on certain single-use plastics, the country has successfully removed nearly one billion plastic items from circulation, coinciding with Plastic Free July.

As of 1 July, New Zealand celebrated the first anniversary of its prohibition on single-use plastic produce bags, cutlery, plates, and bowls, as well as the restricted use of plastic straws.

This ban has led to the removal of approximately 200 million plastic straws, 600 million pieces of plastic cutlery, bowls, and plates, and 150 million plastic produce bags from landfills and the environment, equivalent to 17,000 plastic bags every hour.

These recent measures, effective since 1 July 2023, build on earlier bans from 2022, which targeted plastic drink stirrers, cotton buds, certain types of polystyrene and PVC food packaging, and plastics with additives that cause faster breakdown into micro-plastics.

Coasties can participate in the Plastic Free July movement, joining millions globally in efforts to reduce plastic waste and contribute to cleaner streets, oceans, and communities.