Goodbye to plastic bags

Forget the days of strolling out of supermarkets with handfuls of plastic bags. Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, has made 2008 the year of phasing out plastic bags. Unsurprisingly, the move has been welcomed by environmental groups.

“TEC [Total Environment Centre] and other green groups have been campaigning for years on this problem, but the Howard government created obstacle after obstacle to a sustainable solution,” says Jeff Angel, Director of TEC. “There has been a mountain of analysis and studies, but no action.”

The process will be fast tracked by the involvement of state environment ministers, adds Angel.  “We will very quickly see a massive reduction in litter and marine pollution.  The supermarkets had failed to meet their agreements on bag reduction and presented dodgy economic data to justify continued use.  Our ‘undercover supermarket’ survey in 2007 showed their program seriously failing.  They have no excuses left.”

“Initially people might have a few issues in adjusting to the ban.  However, it’s easy and there’ll be a lot less plastic floating around─and within a year or two there will be no inconvenience felt.”