S2 E13: Undercover Investigation: The Supermarket Plastics Trashing our Oceans

Did you know Aussies are among the worst plastic polluters on the planet - second only to Singapore for our use of single-use plastic packaging? Every year, 145,000 tonnes of plastic waste leak into our environment, and most of it comes from our supermarkets.

Many of these plastics are not recyclable, and even when binned “correctly," they escape - blown by wind, swept by rain - ending up in rivers, oceans, and inside marine life. From turtles mistaking bags for jellyfish to seabirds literally crunching from the plastic in their guts, our throwaway culture is devastating wildlife… and it’s coming back to poison us too.

But there are solutions.

This week, we’re joined by Tara Jones, Plastics & Packaging Program Manager at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, who reveals the shock findings from her supermarket plastics investigation. It's infuriating and eye opening, but it also holds the key to what we can do to stop the plastic tide.

💙 Plus: Find out how to join our Fin Club and receive a personalised video message from your favourite marine animal at the Cairns Aquarium!

Chapters

• 2:27 How to get your personalised message from your fave marine animal
• 4:03 How did Tara become a plastic investigator?
• 6:14 How big is Australia's plastic waste problem?
• 10:20 What is plastic waste doing to our Australian marine life?
• 16:35 How much progress has been made on Australia's single use plastic bans?
• 18:30 How to be a detective for the Plastic Investigations Unit
• 20:12 What was the Investigation's most shocking discovery?
• 28:02 How possible is it to shop plastic-free in a supermarket?
• 29:04 Which supermarket chain scores highest on plastic use?
• 31:01 Can consumers make informed choices at supermarkets?
• 33:16 Can we recycle our way out of this plastic crisis?
• 37:07 Can we all boycott supermarkets to solve the plastic crisis?
• 40:42 Is legislation the answer?
• 42:00 What can listeners do to help?