Cody Simpson Teams Up With WWF-Australia To Stop Plastic Pollution

In celebration of Plastic Free July, WWF-Australia recently announced Australian musician Cody Simpson as their very first Ambassador for Oceans. Simpson’s currently promoting the organisation’s Don’t Let Nature Go to Waste campaign, which implores governments to ban single-use plastics in favour of eco-friendly options. Ditching plastic and switching to green cleaning options are the easiest ways Australians can protect the environment.

Plastic pollution in Australia

Australia has a serious plastic pollution problem. Statistics from WWF-Australia show the nation uses roughly 130kg of plastic per person every year. As little as 9% of this is recycled. In fact, only one third of Australia’s plastic packaging waste gets recycled. In turn, 130,000 tonnes of plastic ends up in the country’s waterways and oceans, pollutes beaches and coastlines, and harms marine wildlife. In an effort to curb plastic pollution, Simpson’s now spearheading the #PlasticFreeShop challenge on social media. So far, he’s nominated fellow singers Jack Johnson, Tash Sultana and Mason Barnes to change their shopping habits and eliminate unnecessary plastic.

Ocean health

But Simpson’s work doesn’t stop there. As Ambassador for Oceans, he’s helping research projects to protect green sea turtles from climate change. He’s also promoting WWF-Australia’s Net-Free North campaign, which is working to eliminate commercial gill nets from the northern Great Barrier Reef. “Protecting and conserving our oceans is something I have been incredibly passionate about for a long time,” said Simpson. “I was swimming and surfing before I could walk. I remember snorkelling in some of the reefs in North Queensland when I was younger, and to see it now years later so damaged is heartbreaking. I have been working with the United Nations to protect and conserve our oceans for a few years now, and I am thrilled to be working with WWF-Australia on projects that protect the ocean I grew up with.”

Green cleaning

In addition to eliminating single-use plastic from their lives, Australians can also help the environment by adopting eco-friendly cleaning practices. Conventional cleaning products contain a plethora of toxic chemicals like ammonia, phosphorus and nitrogen. These chemicals are ultimately washed down the drain, which pollutes drinking water and oceans. Moreover, endocrine-disrupting chemicals have been found to possibly impact the sex and reproduction of marine snails and fish. Eco-friendly cleaning products avoid these problems, and also typically come in sustainable packaging, making them a win-win for the environment.

“As we emerge from COVID-19, it’s really important that we restart the momentum to make our oceans plastic-free and our marine wildlife safe,”,said Richard Leck, Head of Oceans, WWF-Australia. Ditching plastic and conventional cleaning products is an essential next step if we are to create a greener and brighter future for Australia.