Victoria has just become the sixth state/territory to announce its intention to ban lightweight, single-use plastic bags, leaving only NSW to follow suit.
Earlier this year Coles and Woolworths announced their phasing out of plastic bags over the next year, and at the time PKN reported that Australia is moving closer to a country-wide ban on single-use plastics, with legislation on the cards to phase out their use completely.
ACT, Northern Territory, Tasmania and South Australia already have bans in place. Queensland and Western Australia bans are set to take effect mid 2018, and just this week, the Andrews Government in Victoria announced – following increased pressure from environmental lobby groups – its intention to ban plastic bags. However, while it made headline news in the mainstream media around the country, an actual start date for the ban has not been announced.
Figures put forward by Clean Up Australia state that plastics make up 38 per cent of waste, with plastic bags alone comprising 13 per cent of litter.
Lightweight bags are prone to fly away in the wind, create a general litter problem and end up in our rivers, wetlands and oceans where they cause harm to marine life.
There is an argument that banning the lightweight single-use bags could lead to a surge in the use of heavier plastic bag, which also create a waste issue. In the UK market, charging for bags at the checkout till has reportedly seen a dramatic reduction in their use.
But there's no arguing with the call to stop plastic getting into our waterways and oceans, and banning single-use bags is seen by many as a step in the right direction. NSW has yet to take the step.
