Wikaniko Turtle Bags
There has been a lot of press in recent times about plastic bags and the damage they
are doing. All of this publicity is great, because it makes our job that much easier!
The reason we decided to offer Turtle bags was that we really liked their message and
they had a great solution. The Turtle bags are great value, they are made from strong
but soft cotton and are surprisingly large and roomy, yet because they are soft netting
compress for storage until they are tiny (or we supply them in their own handy storage
"pocket"). They can be used over and over and over again, and because their handles are
a nice thickness and soft they are 100 x more comfortable to carry than plastic bags,
even when they are really full. You are also safe in the knowledge of knowing that all
your shopping wonÔt fall out of the bottom!
We have 5 different species of turtle visiting our UK waters. The one you are most
likely to come across is the Leatherback turtle. The Leatherback turtles (the largest of
the marine turtles) swim to the UK from tropical nesting beaches for jellyfish, usually
between August and October. These great animals have been around for 100 million
years.
Turtles are mistaking upturned plastic bags for their favourite food, jellyfish, with
deadly results. Turtle Bags seeks to promote alternatives to plastic bags and reducing
plastic pollution
Sadly, mistaking polythene bags for jellyfish has caused many deaths of Leatherback
turtles. A discarded bag fills with water and floats, semi-submerged on the water's
surface. To a turtle this looks just like a jellyfish and is swallowed with terrible
consequences, usually resulting in death for the turtle as the bag either twists in its gut
or blocks digestion.
The plastic bag is highly over-specified for the job for which it was designed. Required
to serve us for the hour or so that it takes us to get our shopping home, instead it is
expected that the bags will last for hundreds of years. The hazards of the plastic bag
do not stop with the turtles. Plastic is never fully degrade; plastic bags eventually turn
into plastic "dust" which can still be ingested by filter feeding marine animals. Plastic is
highly toxic, and toxins in filter feeders are passed up the food chain to the fish and
ultimately human consumers.
So once again it all comes back full circle, by doing something for the greater good, we
really are ultimately helping ourselves.
www.greenandpleasant.biz
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