Your effort to help save the planet from pollution could be doing more harm than good, despite your best intentions.
For the first time, the Ministry for the Environment is warning Kiwis against using biodegradable and compostable bags.
"We do not recommend biodegradable plastic bags as they can be more harmful than their non-biodegradable counterparts," the ministry says in a statement.
Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage says there's no point in having a biodegradable bag that doesn't break down into things that nature can handle well.
"It's not biodegradable if it breaks into plastics that are a pollution problem,” she says.
Biodegradable is defined as being able to break down in a natural environment, but the ministry says some don't decompose completely and end up as long-lasting microplastics.
Compostable bags could be a future solution, but the ministry says there's no nationwide infrastructure to process them.
The official advice is to ditch plastic, biodegradable and compostable bags if they can't be processed properly.
If you need a bag to line you rubbish bin, the Government says use paper or just wash it out after use.
These options can be a bit more messy, but will go some way to reducing our reliance on plastic.
SHARE ME