Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags in Australia

The phase-out of lightweight plastic bags in Australia is being implemented by the states and territories rather than nationally, with plastic bag bans implemented in all jurisdictions except New South Wales, where it remains under discussion.

Plastic bag bans in Australian states and territories
  Ban in effect (SA, NT, ACT, TAS, QLD, VIC and WA)
  No ban (NSW)

In 2003 the Tasmanian town of Coles Bay was the first location in Australia to ban plastic bags.[1] Although in 2008 the then-Environment Minister Peter Garrett announced the Rudd Government's goal of a nationwide plastic bag ban by year's end, he later abandoned the initiative due to cost of living concerns and disagreement about the policy among state and territory governments.[2][3] This led to states and territories pursuing their own approaches.[4]

The introduction of the "Zero Waste" program in South Australia led to the first statewide lightweight bag ban being introduced in October 2008. It is estimated that this move has saved 400 million bags annually.[5] In October 2017 it was announced that single-use lightweight plastic bags would be banned in Victoria in November 2019.[6]

Since 2018, the country's two largest supermarket chains, Coles and Woolworths, voluntarily removed free lightweight plastic bags from their stores and began charging for thicker reusable plastic bags instead.[7] The reusable bags are sold at 15 cents in both chains.[8] By December 2018, the supermarket phase-out led to an estimated 80% drop in the use of plastic bags nationwide, leading to 1.5 billion fewer bags entering the environment.[9]

Background

In Australia, 6 billion HDPE bags were used in 2002.[10] Usage reduced to 5.6 billion in 2004[11] and 3.9 billion in 2007.[10] According to Keep Australia Beautiful's 2015-16 National Litter Index, plastic bags made up 1% of the country's litter.[12][13] In 2016 environmental groups expressed their concern that Australia was lagging other countries in the phase-out of lightweight plastic bags, including Botswana, Somalia and Tanzania.[14] In 2016 it was estimated that of the 5 billion plastic bags used annually by Australians, 150 million ended up as litter.[14]

In April 2017, The Project and Clean Up Australia launched a Change.org petition for the premiers of the three states without plastic bag bans - Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia - to "ban the bag".[15] After a segment on The Project about the petition, #BanTheBag became the top trending topic on Twitter.[15] In February 2018, a motion was put in the Australian Federal Parliament calling for a nationwide ban of lightweight non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags.[16] Senate inquiries into recycling and marine plastic pollution also led to tripartisan recommendations by the Liberal, Labor and Greens parties to ban all single-use plastics in the country by 2023 and for all states and territories to ban plastic bags.[17][18]

Plastic bag bans by state/territory

Summary
Jurisdiction Lightweight plastic bags banned? Commencement date
South Australia Yes 4 May 2009[19]
Northern Territory Yes 1 September 2011[20][21]
Australian Capital Territory Yes 1 November 2011[22][23]
Tasmania Yes 1 November 2013[24]
Queensland Yes 1 July 2018[25]
Western Australia Yes 1 July 2018[26][27]
Victoria Yes 1 November 2019[28][29]
New South Wales No (proposed)[30] -

South Australia

The Plastic Shopping Bags (Waste Avoidance) Bill passed the Parliament of South Australia on 13 November 2008, with a transitional period of 1 January to 4 May 2009.[31] With an official start date of 4 May 2009, South Australia was the first state or territory in Australia to ban plastic bags at the checkout, with retailers facing fines of up to $5,000 for distributing banned bags and retailer suppliers fined up to $20,000.[32] The ban does not extend to heavier plastic bags or fruit and vegetable bags.[32]

Northern Territory

The Northern Territory banned plastic bags with effect from 1 September 2011.[33] Biodegradable and heavier bags remain legal.[33]

Australian Capital Territory

The ACT was the second jurisdiction after South Australia to pass a law banning plastic bags,[22] with the ban entering into effect on 1 November 2011.[34] Plastic barrier bags for fruit and vegetables are exempt.[35]

Tasmania

In 2003 Coles Bay was the first Australian town to completely ban non-biodegradable plastic bags.[36] In November 2010 a Greens motion introduced to Tasmania's parliament to ban plastic bags received tripartisan support from Labor, the Liberals and the Greens.[37] A statewide ban began on 1 November 2013.[38] A 2015 review found widespread support for the ban but a mixed environmental impact.[39]

Queensland

In November 2016 the Queensland Government announced it would ban plastic bags from 2018, after the Opposition promised that it would implement a ban if it won the next state election.[40][41] The implementing legislation passed the Queensland Parliament on 6 September 2017, accompanied by a container refund recycling scheme.[42] Both initiatives are due to take effect on 1 July 2018.[42]

Western Australia

Two attempts by the City of Fremantle in 2013 and 2015 to introduce a citywide plastic bag ban were blocked through disallowance motions moved in the Western Australian Legislative Council.[43] In September 2017, the Western Australian Government announced it would commence a statewide plastic bag ban on 1 July 2018.[26][44]

Victoria

In mid-2017, Victoria's state government expressed its preference for a national ban, while confirming it would be open to a state-level ban in future.[45] In October 2017, Daniel Andrews stated that Victoria would introduce a ban on plastic bags, with the start date to be announced in early 2018 after consultation with industry and the community.[6][46] The Government subsequently announced the plastic bag ban would commence by 1 November 2019.[28]

New South Wales

The New South Wales Government currently has plans to introduce a ban within years end (18 months). In 2017 Premier Gladys Berejiklian stated that no regulation was needed because retailers responsible for 80% of plastic bags in the state (Coles, Woolworths and Harris Farm) would voluntarily stop providing free plastic bags themselves.[47] In October 2019, the Berejiklian Government blocked a Labor party bill that would ban plastic bags, arguing that its plastic waste reduction discussion paper should be released first.[48] The discussion paper was released in March 2020, and included a proposed plastic bag ban, which is likely to come into effect in 2021 following community consultation.[30]

Retailer positions

Aldi has never offered free plastic bags to customers since opening its first Australian store in 2001.[49] Customers are charged 15 cents for a thick plastic bag and more for fabric or cooler bags.[49] In 2009 Target Australia announced it would stop giving out free bags in its stores, instead charging 10 cents per bag.[50] In 2013 Target again began providing free bags, stating that it had received about 500 formal customer complaints per year about the lack of free bags.[50] Target and its sister chain Kmart Australia plan to withdraw single use plastic bags nationwide in 2019.[51][52] Bunnings Warehouse has charged 10 cents for plastic bags since 2003, while IKEA stopped offering free bags in 2013.[53][54]

In 2017 the country's largest supermarket chains, Woolworths and Coles, announced that they would stop providing free plastic bags to customers nationwide in 2018, and would sell thicker plastic bags for 15 cents each.[55] Withdrawing free bags is expected to save the retailers $170 million per year in reduced packaging costs while creating a revenue stream from selling thicker plastic bags.[53]

The move was criticised by conservative commentators including Andrew Bolt[56] and Steve Price.[57] The loss of free bags also sparked backlash from some consumers, with several stealing shopping baskets or trolleys in protest and reports of abuse or assault towards staff.[58][59][60] Criticisms include the continued overuse of plastic by retailers, poor quality of the replacement bags and allegations that the true motive was profiteering.[58][61] Marketing academics described the backlash as caused by the retailers breaking the perceived "psychological contract" with consumers to either provide free plastic bags or otherwise remove plastic throughout the store for environmental benefit, rather than merely charging for something that had previously been provided without additional charge.[62]

In response to customer backlash Coles reversed its position, offering to provide reusable plastic bags for free indefinitely in most states.[63][64][65] This led to criticism from Greenpeace, Craig Reucassel and other environmentalists, causing Coles to reverse its reversal and announce it would again charge for bags from 29 August 2018 onwards.[66][67] Woolworths also extended the timeframe for providing free plastic bags, until 8 July 2018.[68] By December 2018, the National Retail Association estimated that plastic bag consumption fell by 80% nationwide as a result of the major supermarket withdrawal of free bags, leading to 1.5 billion fewer bags entering the environment.[9][69]

Harris Farms ceased providing free plastic bags in January 2018, instead offering free reusable paper bags or recycled boxes to consumers.[70] Craveable Brands also moved to phase out single use plastic bags in its Oporto, Red Rooster and Chicken Treat chains by July 2018.[70]

Alternatives to plastic bags

A side-effect of the plastic bag ban observed in South Australia was the increased use of bin liners, which have a greater environmental impact than plastic bags as they do not break down well in modern landfills.[71] Environmentally-friendly alternatives suggested instead of bin liners include composting food scraps and using free community newspapers as liners instead.[71]

A 2007 report into shopping bag alternatives[72] noted that paper bags were less environmentally friendly than plastic bags due to a higher carbon footprint.[73] Similarly, cotton bags were unsuitable due to the pesticides used and high volume of water needed to create them.[73] The "greenest" option was using recycled plastic bags.[73]

Concern has been expressed about potential unintended adverse health outcomes associated with the plastic bag ban rollout due to the lack of care by consumers in maintaining alternative shopping bags in a clean and healthy condition. Overseas experiences in locations such as San Francisco, where increased illness and even deaths were reported in the aftermath of similar bans to those in Australian states, suggest that this is a real concern.[74]

See also

References
  1. "Tasmania carries eco-fight, bans plastic bags". Mail & Guardian. 29 April 2003. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  2. "Garrett calls time on plastic bags". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  3. Feneley, Rick (26 December 2008). "Battle to bag the plastic goes on". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  4. Darby, Andrew (12 November 2010). "Ban on plastic bags spreads to Tasmania". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  5. "Plastic Bag Ban". Zero Waste South Australia. 28 February 2011. Retrieved 2 July 2012.
  6. Preiss, Benjamin (18 October 2017). "Lightweight plastic bags to be banned in Victoria". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  7. Slezak, Michael (14 July 2017). "Woolworths and Coles to phase out single-use plastic bags". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  8. Zhou, Naaman (5 June 2018). "Coles and Woolworths' plastic bag ban and the choices that remain". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  9. Khalil, Shireen (2 December 2018). "Ban leads to '80 per cent drop' in plastic bag consumption". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Australian Associated Press. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  10. "Plastic bags". Australian Government. 5 November 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  11. "Plastic Bag Fact Sheet" (PDF). Sustainability Victoria. 9 November 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2013. Retrieved 1 July 2012.
  12. Thornton, Trevor (21 July 2017). "In banning plastic bags we need to make sure we're not creating new problems". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  13. Christian, Natasha (5 April 2018). "Why Australia may not be ready to ban plastic bags". SBS News. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  14. Cormack, Lucy (9 April 2016). "Australia falling behind third world on global map of plastic bag bans". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  15. "Waleed Aly calls for nationwide ban". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. 20 April 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  16. "Plastic bag ban motion in Federal Parliament".
  17. Zhou, Naaman (26 June 2018). "All single-use plastics should be banned by 2023 Senate inquiry recommends". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  18. Cormack, Lucy (20 April 2016). "Plastic bag ban among recommendations by marine plastic senate inquiry". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  19. Williamson, Brett (23 April 2009). "SA's plastic bag ban". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  20. "Plastic bag ban". Northern Territory Government. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  21. La Canna, Xavier (8 September 2014). "Fewer plastic shopping bags used in NT since ban introduced". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  22. Hayne, Jordan (10 April 2017). "What difference did the plastic bag ban make to Canberra's waste?". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  23. "Plastic bag ban". Environment, Planning and Sustainable Development Directorate. ACT Government. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  24. "Plastic Shopping Bags Ban Act 2013 - EPA Tasmania". Environment Protection Authority. Tasmanian Government. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  25. "Queensland bans single-use plastic bags from July 2018". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 5 September 2017. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  26. Trigger, Rebecca (12 September 2017). "How will WA's plastic bag ban work?". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  27. Kagi, Jacob (12 September 2017). "'The time has come': Plastic bags to be banned in WA next year". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  28. Cunningham, Melissa; Preiss, Benjamin (27 June 2018). "Victoria set to ban plastic bags by next year". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  29. Victoria, Sustainability. "The alternatives to plastic bags". www.sustainability.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  30. Smith, Alexandra (8 March 2020). "NSW to join all other states in banning single-use plastic bags". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Newspapers. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  31. Macfarlane, Melanie (14 November 2008). "South Australia bans plastic shopping bags". G-Online. Green Lifestyle Magazine. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  32. "$20,000 for the wrong shopping bag". News.Com.Au. Australian Associated Press. 21 April 2009. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  33. Brennan, Bridget; Liston, Gail (1 September 2011). "Plastic bag ban begins in Territory shops". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  34. "ACT bag ban begins". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 November 2011. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  35. Boland-Rudder, Hamish; Knaus, Christopher (8 February 2013). "Study links plastic bag ban with increase in food-related deaths". Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  36. "Tas town pushes for nationwide bag ban". News.Com.Au. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  37. "Tasmania to ban plastic shopping bags". News.Com.Au. AAP. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  38. Kempton, Helen (1 November 2013). "Tasmania's shoppers adjust quickly to ban on plastic bags as new regulations kick in". The Mercury. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  39. Paine, Michelle (14 March 2015). "Jury still out on plastic bag success". The Mercury. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  40. Wiggins, Nick (25 November 2016). "Queensland to ban single-use plastic bags from 2018". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  41. "Queensland to ban plastic shopping bags from 2018". The Guardian. Australian Associated Press. 25 November 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  42. Branco, Jorge (5 September 2017). "Queensland's plastic bag ban is official, along with recycling refund". Brisbane Times. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  43. Kagi, Jacon (14 October 2015). "Fremantle plastic bag ban binned again in WA Parliament". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  44. "WA to ban plastic bags next year". The West Australian. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  45. Heffernan, Madeleine; Preiss, Benjamin (27 July 2017). "Victoria open to 'going it alone' on plastic bag ban if national deal not reached". The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  46. Thornton, Trevor (25 October 2017). "Victoria's plastic bag ban: a good start, but we can do more". The Conversation. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  47. Cormack, Lucy (24 July 2017). "Plastic bag ban across NSW not needed if supermarkets act themselves: Premier". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  48. Visentin, Lisa (2 October 2019). "NSW government to block Labor's 'ban the bag' bill in favour of discussion paper". The Sydney Morning Herald. Nine Newspapers. Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  49. Heffernan, Madeleine (21 March 2017). "Aldi reignites debate over plastic bag ban". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  50. Sharp, Rosemary Anne (3 October 2013). "Target's plastic bag backdown a loss for the silent majority". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  51. Brook, Benedict (1 July 2018). "Big Australian retailers are refusing to axe plastic bags". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  52. "The retail chains that haven't banned single-use plastic bags". Yahoo News. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  53. Mortimer, Gary (17 July 2017). "Getting rid of plastic bags: a windfall for supermarkets but it won't do much for the environment". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  54. "Retailers' war on plastic bags". 14 July 2017. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  55. Dulaney, Michael (14 July 2017). "Woolworths and Coles to phase out plastic bags around the country". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  56. Alcorn, Gay (27 June 2018). "The plastic bag ban is not going to kill us. Here's why Andrew Bolt is so wrong". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  57. Graham, Ben (20 June 2018). "Steve Price lets fly in an on-air rant about the plastic bag ban". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  58. Chung, Frank (3 July 2018). "'My free reusable bag': Coles customer steals shopping basket to protest plastic bag ban". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  59. Knight, Dom (3 August 2018). "Australia: the country that went to war over plastic bags". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  60. Brook, Benedict (29 June 2018). "Coles to open every checkout on Sunday as staff union warns customers could become abusive due to plastic bag ban". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  61. Chung, Frank (2 July 2018). "'They don't really understand consumers at all'". News.com.au. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 29 May 2019.
  62. Mortimer, Gary; Russell-Bennett, Rebekah (16 July 2018). "Why plastic bag bans triggered such a huge reaction". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  63. Stuart, Riley; Mayers, Lily; Salmon, Gregor (1 August 2018). "'Caved too quickly': Coles under fire for backing down on plastic bag ban". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  64. "Coles' plastic bag 'flip-flop' disrespects consumers, waste body says". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 1 August 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  65. Borg, Kim; Ip, Edwin (1 August 2018). "hy Coles' plastic bag backflip leaves us worse off than before". The Conversation. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  66. Zhou, Naaman (1 August 2018). "Woolworths sticks with plastic bag ban, despite Coles reversal". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  67. "Coles to stop handing out free plastic bags — again". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 2 August 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  68. Cunningham, Melissa (28 June 2018). "'Bringing reusable bags has been a challenge': Woolworths backflip on plastic bags". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  69. "Supermarket ban 'sees 80pc drop' in plastic bags nationwide". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Australian Associated Press. 3 December 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  70. "Harris Farms leads the charge in plastic bag-free movement - Packaging News". Packaging News. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  71. Chung, Frank (18 July 2017). "Plastic bag ban: 'You don't actually need a plastic bin liner to put your rubbish out'". News.com.au. NewsCorp Australia. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  72. Dili, Rae (18 April 2007). Comparison of existing life cycle analysis of shopping bag alternatives: Final Report (PDF) (Report). Sustainability Victoria. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  73. Adler, Ben (10 June 2016). "Banning Plastic Bags Is Great for the World, Right? Not So Fast". WIRED. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  74. "Study links plastic bag ban with increase in food-related deaths". Canberra Times. 8 February 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2018.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.