#SnipRingsforWildlife - a campaign to help protect wildlife from the risk of entanglement and death.
Petitioner:
Ms Fabian Megan
| Member:
Coure, Mark
| No. of Signatories:
520
| Date closed:
06/10/2021
To the Speaker and Members of the Legislative Assembly, this petition brings to the attention of the House the impact of ring-shaped items on native wildlife and the environment.
Each year, thousands of native species become entangled, obtain significant injuries, and often die horrific deaths from ring-shaped items such as plastic rings, rubber bands, hair ties, the loops of facemasks, and dome-shaped plastic lids. Platypuses have been found entangled in a rubber band, and birds have caught their head in dome-shaped lids or trapped their feet in the loops of a facemask. These ring-shaped items enter our environment and place wildlife at risk of entanglement and death.
#SnipRingsforWildlife aims to raise awareness and encourage individuals to protect Australia’s wildlife by cutting through ring-shaped items before disposing of them. Despite contacting numerous manufacturers, informing them of the danger that ring-shaped items pose to native wildlife, and encouraging them to improve their products, the issue persists. Wildlife-friendly alternatives are available. Jars, bottles, and tetra packs now come with a ring that snaps apart from the lid upon opening or a peel-off seal under the cap. Ideally, we can primarily use milk cartons.
We ask the House to implement a ban on ring-shaped items to protect native wildlife from the risk of entanglement and death. In the interim, we ask the House to encourage companies to change their products to a more wildlife-friendly option and encourage the community to snip through ring-shaped items before disposing of them.
