Taronga Zoo and Royal Caribbean International have joined forces on the Litter Free Oceans campaign to raise awareness about the devastating impact litter has on marine life and educate Australians on how to reduce single-use plastic.
We have all seen the consequences of our actions with the amount of litter in our oceans and what impact this is having on the environment.
Every year, 8 million tonnes of plastic waste leaks into our oceans, that is a rubbish truck every single minute. Half of all marine turtles have consequently eaten this plastic and at least 90% of sea birds have some form of plastic in their stomach.
Director and CEO of Taronga Zoo, Cameron Kerr, says; “Plastic pollution impacts over 700 species, including marine turtles, whales, dolphins and sea lions. The oceans are in dire need of help but often we feel we can’t make a difference by ourselves. Litter Free Oceans shows Australians how small changes can make a big difference in helping our oceans thrive.”
“By partnering with Royal Caribbean, who already has a robust ocean conservation program in place and a formidable network of ocean lovers, we can truly make a difference to the planet.”
By using the Litter Free Oceans impact calculator, you can understand the current impact the use of single-use plastic has on our oceans.
Taronga Zoo and Royal Caribbean have given us four simple and easy to do reminders of how not only Australians, but everyone can reduce their single-use plastic consumption:
- Say no to plastic straws
- Pack a ‘naked picnic’ – free from plastic wrapping
- Pick up any litter you see
- Ditch helium balloons
Gavin Smith, vice president and managing director, Royal Caribbean International, Australia and New Zealand, says, “We’ve taken major action to reduce single-use plastics across our fleet and have removed 77 million plastic straws from our supply chain, achieving our target in 2018 to be plastic straw free. Our ‘single-use plastic task force’ is continuing to identify ways to further eliminate the single-use plastic on board our ships.” This will hopefully have a huge impact across the world.
For more information on the Litter Free Oceans and to meet Andrew, the tiny turtle with a big story, you can visit the campaign website, www.taronga.org.au/litter-free-oceans/.
