New Zealand prohibits the use of disposable plastic bags

The New Zealand government is determined to completely eliminate single-use nylon bags to protect the environment and marine life.

Single-use nylon bags are officially banned in New Zealand and will be completely removed within the next 12 months, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Environment Minister Eugenie Sage today announced in public speech at Lyall Bay in Wellington, AFP reported.

Disposable nylon bags are one of the most popular items found in coastal landfills in New Zealand. This island nation of Oceania uses hundreds of millions of nylon bags every year and many of them drift into the sea after use.

New Zealand is the latest country to ban the use of nylon bags.(Photo: Shortpedia).

"We will remove disposable nylon bags to protect the environment and keep the green and clean in New Zealand," Ardern said. "We need to be smarter in waste management and this is a good start . "

The New Zealand government said it listened to people's opinions before issuing a ban. In the past year, New Zealanders sent a 65,000 signature petition to the government asking for a ban on nylon bags nationwide.

"This is a big step in the effort to overcome plastic waste pollution and has important implications for the protection of marine organisms such as turtles and whales," Greenpeace environmental organization welcomed the ban on nylon bags once by the New Zealand government.

According to a United Nations report in June 2018, about 5 trillion nylon bags are used globally every year, equivalent to nearly 10 million bags per minute. Over the past few years, more than 60 countries have enacted a ban on or impose duties on single-use plastic items such as nylon bags to reduce global pollution.