"History will be kind to us, because we will write it"
[First filed: Oct 27, 2010 @ 10:31]
Simon Corbell has announced the end of light plastic shopping bags with the final ban to be in place from 1 November next year.
Before panicking bear in mind there will be many exemptions:
The Plastic Shopping Bags Ban Bill 2010 will ban the supply of plastic shopping bags of 35 microns or less, generally the type distributed through supermarkets, grocery stores and takeaway food outlets.
A range of bags will be unaffected by the ban, including barrier bags of the type dispensed from a roll to hold items such as fruit or meat and heavier retail bags used in department, footwear and clothing stores.
The Government expects that retailers will provide a range of bags to consumers to replace light weight plastic bags including reuseable ‘green’ bags, paper bags and biodegradable bags which meet Australian Standard AS 4736-2006. The sale of plastic bin liners for waste containers in the home is unaffected by the ban.
I’m still not sure how we’re getting greasy take-away home without making a mess in the car, but we’re going to find out.
UPDATE: The Greens’ Caroline Le Couteur has expressed her pleasure at this piece of Green policy being adopted.
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KB1971 said :
Clearly, a first class ticket involves more space and weight on a plane, which leads to more fuel being consumed. While flying on a long-haul flight is actually one of the most energy efficent forms of transport, first class tickets, which cost many times more, are a waste of the world’s resources.
You don’t work at the Department of Climate Change do you? Ever been on a Climate Change junket?
Wish people would just adopt an attitude of reducing waste and pollution. I don’t like these token bans while other problems, equally or even more valid, go unaddressed. Yes, it’s a CONSPIRACY to make us feel like we’re doing something! (Couldn’t resist.)
CMDwedge:
Interesting article in Drive.com today:
http://news.drive.com.au/drive/sydney-motor-show/fuel-economy-is-fools-gold-says-suzuki-20101018-16pr9.html
TVStar, you you have a point there but to be honest, I travel domestically quite a bit & the with the business class seats up the front of a 737 you might only just get one more row of seats in there, 6 more people is hardly an evironmental disaster.
Cant comment on larger aircraft.
& no I dont work for Climate Change.
I’ve often wondered what the point of this is when everyone is still using garbage bags and bin liners for their rubbish bins. Surely they need to look at making those bags biodegradable/recycled also? Instead it seems the new focus is on making plastic garbage bags and bin liners smell like citrus or mint. It really doesn’t figure.
Thoroughly Smashed said :
If you are planning to go to the supermarket, then yes it is not much of an effort to take your ‘environmental’ bags with you. However, what about situations where you make an impromptu run into the shop. Such as:
1. You get off the bus after work. You have a 5/10 minute walk home. You then decide to duck into the supermarket to get milk, bread, eggs, vegemite. Not a major shop, but you can’t really carry these items by yourself.. It is not practical to walk home, then walk/drive back to the shop again.
2. You work in a major hub (Civic, Belco, Tuggers, etc) and you need a few groceries for work or home. You decide to walk across to the mall. You have no bag?
Will we be able to ‘buy’ a bag adhoc?
I guess we can buy bin liners in the supermarket and then use them as our shopping bag….which will then end up as a bin liner at home….and then, oh dear landfill!
Has anyone looked at the flow-on effects?
p.s. Before some off you go off at me, I recycle heavily, but this just seems another ill-conceived feel-good idea.
KB1971 said :
I own a retail shop, and I have never used lightweight plastic bags. I tried cornstarch biodegradable bags, but found that large, sturdy brown paper bags were better value for money and looked nicer too.
Do you know you don’t actually have to use a bin liner bag at all? You can just chuck all the rubbish directly into the big green bin. Just hose it out regularly, and it won’t be a problem. I have at times resorted to a liner for the nappy bucket (cloth nappies, not landfillers), but have found those roll-up nylon bags are a good fit, washable, and don’t hold stains. Now if I could just find a small bin the right size for those little cornstarch bags, the compost bin liner issue would be solved too.
Once upon a time, there were no plastic bags, and our grandparents seem to have survived the experience. I’m sure we will survive too.
Fano, why don’t you look at the South Australian model – it’s been implemented since 2008 and there haven’t been riots because people have found themselves unpredicatably at the shops without a bag. They just have to pay 5cents (or whatever it is to use a bag – Borders in Civic also uses this option).
Amazingly enough, the South Australian model has also come up very favourably – they even researched community attitudes to it 1 year on;
http://www.zerowaste.sa.gov.au/upload/ExecSummary_PlasticBagBan_Research.pdf
Big deal, you get off the bus and you have to go to the shops and you don’t have a bag! This happens to me all the time, what do I do – I buy what I REALLY need, and carry it home and if it fits in my bag (as I imagine you too often travel around with a bag of some description) I put it in my bag just the same.
If peeople are so concerned about bin liners, than save the bags you will still get from everywhere else and use them as a bin. Or buy a composter, put your waste in there and then sell it to people in the neighbourhood who have gardens and are in need of compost.
These petty arguments about something that has been a very long time in the pipeline are so counterproductive. It’s a small step sure, but it’s a step nonetheless. Stop moaning about how much you’ll be inconvenienced (when really you’re just sounding lazy)!
schmeah said :
S’ok. It’s not for the dog.
More subscribers now so JB can eat properly!
I predict massive panic buying of shopping bags by the morbidly stupid.
Now, good people is the correct time to enter the market for making 36 micron bags.
What a twit!
Thoroughly Smashed said :
+1
schmeah said :
+1 It’s not a levy, because the stores will pass that cost on to customers anyway. It’s more like, “you want a bag, then pay for the privilege.” And the cost is kept by the store.
Chill out guys, the 2012 apocalypse will kill us all anyway.
I imagine many retailers will just switch to the EPI or similar bags, that said many have ALREADY made the switch, and it didn’t end in riots.
Lets all have a valium and a J.
I’m a bit surprised that no-one has brought up the pricing of plastic bag alternatives.
I have no problem with the banning of plastic bags but I do wonder why I am asked to pay an additional sum of money by the retailer for an alternative, when previously they have provided a bag as part of the cost of purchase (the assumption therefore being that the cost of the plastic bag is built into the price of the product being purchased).
Sorry for being a bit cynical but this just seems to be another example of environmental policy where the cost is passed yet again onto the end consumer (currently doing some building works around the house so don’t get me started on the topic…)
emd said :
emd, where do you get your cornstarch bags, how big are they and how much do they cost?
I recently bought a MaxAir Compost Bin, but unless I find another source, I have to buy rolls of 8L compostable bags from the manufacturer, plus shipping.
They also make All Purpose compostable Bags, for nappies, landfill, shopping, what-have-you. http://www.biobaganz.com/compostable-biodegradable-plastic-kitchen-bags.htm
You mean I’ll have to pay an extra 5 cents for a bag at Woolies? Oh the humanity!
3Jane said :
That’s good – cos I sure as hell dont want to start trying to compost tampons/pads and what-have-you. The only other ‘environmental’ solution I can see is just wrap these up in newspaper, and place on the countertop till we go out to our wheelie bins/hoppers.
schmeah said :
I know this is getting OT a bit, but the comment above shows how much you know. Whilst sure ACTION does have old buses, our old buses are still much newer than any other government operator in the country. ACTION normally gets rid of theirs around the 15-18 year mark, whereas other operators, including Adelaide between 20 and 25 years.
For the next year, I am going to put each individual item I buy at Woollies into a separate plastic bag including individual pieces of fruit, and start stashing and hoarding …
georgesgenitals said :
Are they giving that option though?
I don’t care if I have to pay 5c for a bag, so be it. Banning them entirely though (if that’s the case) is a little OTT on an issue that is so far down in the list of things that could be addressed if the phony greens and labor actually WANTED to help the environment. It’s a rubbish (pardon the pun) token gesture and smacks of a commercial money grab to force people to buy bags for all sorts of waste that the shopping bags are currently used for.
Personally, I can’t use normal dog poo bags to pick up after my dog (they are too small) so I use shopping bags, heaps of other people do that around my suburb too. With no bins around here either, I reckon we could be in for a little more doggy poo being left around due to this law. Unless we of course still have the option to buy the bags at 5c.
Why are people so happy to be government regulated/nanny state ‘protected’ on everything these days?
What the hell happened to choice?
This is a perfect example of the stupidity that is the human race.
‘Oh wow. We have banned plastic bags. Aren’t we a good bunch of people.”
Now the other 99.999% of crap we do to the earth can be forgotten.
Until we stop living in a society based on consumption and a fascination with non-stop economic growth, gestures like this are completely meaningless.
Meaningless clap trap.
Who said the ACT government (with the Greens) couldn’t deliver real, effective and significant change?
it’s amazing that we even have to debate topics such as this…..yet when it comes to war, mobile speed cameras etc, the gov jump right in and do what they like
Nice try Amanda Hugankis (??), but instilling an image of your sanitary by-products isn’t going to make the policy any less appealing. It’s all very tiring.
As mentioned, the supermarkets aren’t taking away your right to a plastic bag, they’re just making you part with all of 10 cents if you need one. And why can’t you use other bags for your rubbish – such as those you get when you buy a pair of shoes, or a book, or whatever it is?
And if you’re really desperate, try a Diva Cup http://www.bumbles.co.nz/products/The-Diva-Cup.html that way you’ll never have to worry about leaving your tampon anywhere.
Not banned in Victoria yet. What about NSW?
This is totally idiotic.Plastic bags are now so biodegradeable the come apart before you are even finished with them.
Plastic bags are not killing the planet. Banning them will not change anything.
This is becomming a totalitarian fascist state.
Stupid.Stupid.Stupid
The emissions caused by the Canberra Glassworks would be sufficient to manufacture about 1 billion plastic bags … hypocrisy much, ACT Govt?
Jethro said :
+1
Proudof Canberra said :
+1
JC said :
Also the greenhouse gas emission that these busses emit would more than likely be less than it takes to build a new one.
Amanda Hugankis said :
Instead of tampons/pads, perhaps you might like to consider using a lunette (moon) cup?
Reuseable and much more comfortable and hygienic than a tampon. The manufacturer also sells reuseable cloth pads (which is really back to the future – just like nana…).
I’ve been using a lunette for years and have no regrets and no dramas: http://www.lunette.com.au/