Press release from the City of Great Bend…

Plastic Free July is an initiative that started in Australia that is now taking hold in the US and largely being promoted by zoos across the country. One of the main goals of the many zoos is to save species and at the heart of that is saving the environment where critically endangered species live.

The problem with plastic is that it can take thousands of years for it to start to degrade. Even plastic that is recycled is often only recycled once into a lesser quality plastic. Scientists are finding that plastics will breakdown to smaller pieces and are often ingested by animals in our food chain like fish. Humans have created so much trash that there is an “island” of garbage in the Pacific Ocean between Hawaii and California called the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. It is estimated to hold 1.6 million square kilometers of trash and depending on currents it can be anywhere from the size of Texas to the size of Russia. Even here in Great Bend on windy days large amounts of plastic trash can be seen up against the perimeter fence.

The solution to the problem is simple; avoiding and refusing plastics. Americans use 500 million plastic straws every day, if each person were to switch to a reusable stainless steel or glass straw that would be tons of plastic out of the landfills. Zoo Curator Sara Hamlin gives several ideas on how to reduce your personal plastic use:

• Bring your own reusable shopping bags to the grocery store it cuts down on plastic use and sometimes grocery stores offer a small discount for using your own bags.
• Shop at our local farmers market like the Summer Street Stroll because you get your produce without plastic wrapping.
• Take your own Tupperware out to dinner with you so the containers can be reused when you have leftovers.

For the month of July the zoo is offering 10% off all items in the gift shop that reduce plastic use like reusable shopping bags, drink tumblers and stainless steel reusable straws. Every single person has the power to create change.

For more information about the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo Plastic Free July, contact Sara at the Zoo 6260-793-4226.