The Lightbulb asks innovators and entrepreneurs how they turned their ideas into reality. This week we talk to Aaron Jones, founder of Christchurch-based reusable bag company Zerobag. First of all, give us your elevator pitch for Zerobag. Zerobag is a New Zealand-owned company started 10 years ago that specialises in locally designed, high-quality, long-life reusable … Read more
From last Monday, single-use plastic bags are banned in New Zealand. To keep the ball rolling, here are five more things we could look at banning. The hotly-debated plastic bag ban came into effect last Monday, aligning New Zealand with the likes of the EU, the UK, Peru, and other nations with bans on single-use … Read more
Today the law against single use plastic bags goes into effect. One less thing to feel guilty about? Well, maybe, writes Pallas Hupé Cotter. Trips to the grocery store have never been my favourite thing. I’m not someone who flips through cookbooks as a pastime, dreaming of what I can create in the kitchen (I … Read more
OK, so we’ve got rid of plastic bags. But what about all the other stuff? Phasing plastic packaging out is a mammoth task, but some of the industry’s main players are working hard to promote change. Next time you’re at your local supermarket, have a look around. Go up and down each aisle and have … Read more
Tonnes upon tonnes of plastic waste with nowhere to go — there’s no easy solution, but for one group of Kiwi businesses, simply doing nothing was not an option. Until earlier this year, even the most diligent recyclers may not have given much thought to what happens to that plastic bottle after it’s been deposited … Read more
Now that single-use plastic bags are on their way out, what are we going to line our rubbish bins with? Compostable bags? Not so fast, warns AUT emeritus professor Thomas Neitzert. As companies move to get rid of single-use plastic bags and bans on microbeads are coming into force, new biodegradable or compostable plastic products … Read more
The state of recycling in New Zealand is back in the news after China announced it will no longer take much of our used plastic. But that’s no reason to give up on recycling entirely. We sent Gareth Shute to find out which materials you can most fruitfully keep out of landfill. There’s nothing like … Read more
Every week on The Primer we ask a local business or product to introduce themselves in eight simple takes. This week we talk to James Denton, owner of Auckland’s plastic-free supermarkets GoodFor. ONE: How did GoodFor start and what was the inspiration behind it? GoodFor started out of frustration with the amount of plastic I was consuming and the sheer difficulty to … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Like it or not, a plastic bag ban is coming, loan sharks are flouting laws, and Bob Jones is going to court. A ban on single-use plastic bags is almost certain to be announced this year. Earlier in the week environment minister Eugenie Sage hinted to Newshub that legislation … Read more
Welcome to the Cheat Sheet, a clickable, shareable, bite-sized FAQ on the news of the moment. Today, the latest on New Zealand’s efforts to fight plastic pollution. What’s all this then? It’s a wrap on plastic, with everyone from Countdown to Coca-Cola joining a pledge to (eventually) eliminate things like straws and bags from their … Read more
Kiwis use about 2 billion bottles and cans each year, but Marty Hoffart says we are recycling less than half of them – and worse, we’re not doing the one thing that could make the most difference. For the extended original version of this article go to PureAdvantage.org Well, it’s official. The United Kingdom, Ireland, … Read more
Our two supermarket chains have agreed to get rid of plastic bags by the end of this year. Does this mean the end of the seemingly humble plastic bag? Rebecca Stevenson caught up with Wellington City Council’s Roderick Boys to find out why we need to say goodbye to them, for good. Plastic bags were … Read more
In our video series Kiwis of Snapchat, comedian Tom Sainsbury sources exclusive Snapchat footage of Kiwi citizens and luminaries making the news. Today: a desperate plea to New World and Countdown supermarkets. Click here for all our Kiwis of Snapchat videos
A petition signed by more than 16,000 Kiwis prodded parliament to look into single use plastic bags last year. Now our two major supermarket retailers are going toe-to-toe to clamp down on them – and that’s good news for all of us, writes Rebecca Stevenson. Spare a thought for New World. It was only a … Read more