Ban Retailers from Selling Plastic Cotton Buds in Australia

Plastic cotton bud stems are the number one item of plastic, sewage-related debris on our beaches and rivers - yet retailers could help prevent this by switching the stick from plastic to paper.

In the marine environment, plastics can be eaten by marine life, often with fatal consequences. Plastic is found in the stomachs of Loggerhead Turtles, Seabirds and many species of Australian-caught fish. And pieces that don't get eaten break down into microplastics, forming part of a dangerous plastic smog in our seas.

Retailers are listening - major retailer Kmart sells Paper Stem Cotton Tips in their stores. Now we need to make sure the other retailers do the same.

Even paper stem cotton buds shouldn’t be flushed down the loo. But if they are, they're less likely to pass through sewage filters and will quickly biodegrade if they escape.

So please sign and share our petition to ask the remaining retailers to Switch the Stick from plastic to paper.

Your voice will be heard!

Thanks,
Sophia and the Switch the Stick Australia team