A new campaign has been launched by Envirohub Bay of Plenty in an effort to reduce the use of plastic straws in the region.

‘Destraw or Destroy' was launched at The Rising Tide in Mount Maunganui earlier this week with the screening of the documentary film A Plastic Ocean, which looks at the amount of plastic pollution in the world's oceans, and will continue on Saturday (February 17) with beach clean-ups at Mount Maunganui and Papamoa.

The next stage of the campaign will involve inviting local hospitality businesses to commit to becoming plastic-free during March - starting with getting rid of plastic straws and offering alternatives such as cardboard or re-usable stainless steel options.

Participating businesses will feature the ‘De-straw or Destroy' logo and be profiled through Envirohub networks.

'It's a way to get people to understand that they can make smart consumer choices by going to businesses with this logo in their window” says Envirohub project manager Lindsey Bowles.

A social media campaign targeted at consumers is also in the pipeline from March to coincide with Sustainable Backyards Month.

'Businesses are not going to change unless they see consumer interest is there,” says Lindsey.

'The social media campaign will look at the effects of plastic on our environment and wildlife, and the amounts of it in the ocean. There will also be information about solutions and alternative options.”

One of the key messages of the campaign, says Lindsey, will be that PLA, or plant-based plastic such as that used in some plastic straws, is not an acceptable alternative because once it breaks down, the micro-particles are ingested by marine life and become part of the food chain.

Cardboard or stainless steel straws are considered a suitable replacement, or simply not using straws at all.

'If people didn't used straws at all, or carried their own re-usable straw, we could eliminate a lot of these problems,” adds Lindsey.

Education regarding other harmful plastics will be covered by the campaign over time.

The beach clean-ups will get underway at 11am on Saturday, from Leisure Island at Mount Maunganui, led by a team from The Rising Tide, and at the Papamoa Domain, led by a team from the Papamoa Beach Tavern.

People involved in the beach clean-ups will get a stamp to attend each bar's after-party, entitling them to a free hotdog or burger off the barbecue and a soft drink.

There will also be live music and information about the campaign from Envirohub Bay of Plenty.