Plastic Bags Going Bye Byes

[Redline]

Last day for plastic bags at checkouts in South Australia
May 03, 2009
Article from:  Australian Associated Press

CHECKOUT-style plastic bags will disappear from South Australian shops from the close of business today as the state becomes the first in the nation to ban them.

All retailers - from large supermarkets to small takeaway food shops - are subject to the ban and will offer compostable as well as reusable bags at a cost to consumers instead.

"By banning checkout-style plastic bags we'll be cutting waste to landfill, we'll reduce the amount of litter on our streets, in our parks and our waterways,'' said state environment and conservation minister Jay Weatherill in a statement.

"Producing four billion of these bags across the country each year is an enormous waste of energy and resources and the ban will slash South Australia's share of that waste.''

The ban is expected to remove about 400 million plastic bags from SA's waste each year.

When stores open tomorrow shoppers will either have to carry the reusable so-called "green bags'', or pay up to 25cents at major retailers for biodegradable bags.

Plastic bags on a roll, commonly used for fruit and veg and meat, will remain available, along with sturdier department store or clothing shop bags.

"South Australians know we've only got one planet and that we can't keep acting like we have two or three,'' Mr Weatherill said.

Major retailers Coles and Woolworths both said they had taken steps in recent months to prepare shoppers for the ban.

"The plastic bag ban will mean a big change to the way some customers shop,'' Woolworths director of corporate and public affairs Andrew Hall said in a statement.

"To help reduce confusion, Woolworths has been running an education campaign in-store so that customers could start to get used to shopping with reusable bags.''

This has included plastic-bag-free lanes.

Environmental group Planet Ark is urging other governments to follow South Australia's example.

The group is launching an on-line petition to send to a May 22 meeting of all federal and state environment ministers calling for them to ``Kill Off Plastic Bags, Not Wildlife''.

It is estimated that 100,000 marine creatures die each year from plastic pollution.

"As pioneers of the plastic bag reduction movement, Planet Ark applauds the South Australian government's legislation to crack down on this insidious nuisance,'' said Planet Ark general manager Anne-Marie Byrne in a statement.

SA retailers who breach the ban will face on-the-spot fines of $315 or a maximum penalty of $5000. Suppliers who fail to comply can face fines of up to $20,000.

Thoughts??

Have to say I'm mixed. I have green bags anyway....

 

[jiggles]

I'm mixed too. I keep plastic bags to use as bin liners, and also for kitty litter liners.

But most of the times I use Green Bags.

 

[dibo]

I'm mixed too. I keep plastic bags to use as bin liners, and also for kitty litter liners.

But most of the times I use Green Bags.

ditto - we use green bags but we do occasionally pick up plastic bags to ensure we've got something to put rubbish in.

there is an argument (can't be rooted finding a source) that plastic bags actually make landfill more manageable. as long as our household waste contains a bunch of non-biodegradable matter (think of all the plastic you throw out) then having them in a similarly non-biodegradable plastic bag actually keeps them in one place, rather than having them loose.

the argument about health risks for supermarket workers is interesting too - i would wonder what the relevant union says but they're usually too busy doing sweetheart deals with big chains and pushing radical social conservative issues to give a rats about their members.

 

[Sym]

noooooo what will they do for bins