The Case Of The Plastic Shopping Bag

Globally we use billions of plastic shopping bags annually which is of great concern for our world but, is banning them the answer?

Not so long ago I, like most of us I imagine, carried my shopping in plastic bags without batting an eyelid. I avoided Pak ‘n Save and the inconvenience of having to pay for a plastic bag or to find a box within the store to carry my purchases in. I also embraced the eco-friendly, re-usable bags that popped up in supermarkets and promptly forgot to use them. But, after reading a paragraph about plastic floating in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, my shopping excursions have well and truly changed.

Further exploration introduced me to what is known as: ‘the plastic soup’ – an enormous floating patch of debris and plastic floating around in the aforementioned oceans. Many forms of plastic don’t biodegrade, they remain pretty much intact or they photo-degrade which means they break down into smaller toxic particles. These ‘bits’ contaminate soil and water and can be accidentally eaten by animals and marine life when they enter the food web.

According to Zero Waste (www.zerowaste.co.nz) we go through around a billion plastic supermarket bags a year. The downside of this is substantial: they clutter landfills and clog drains -Bangladesh found this to be a reason for severe floods they’ve experienced; drift on the sea – filling the bellies of turtles who are particularly susceptible to them; and flutter into the environment - so much so in South Africa that they’ve thought about naming them a national flower.

In some cases they have their uses. They’re one of the most re-used household items; we use them to line garbage bins; to carry clothes, lunches, books and pick up doggy-do’s before sending them (we sincerely hope) to be recycled.

There’s a global push to reduce plastic bag consumption and many countries have imposed stringent coping strategies. Ireland, Taiwan, South Africa, Australia, and Bangladesh have either banned them or imposed heavy taxes on their use.

In 2002, the Republic of Ireland introduced a plastic bag tax known as PlasTax where shoppers pay around 30 cents per plastic bag used. The initiative was an instant success with a 90 per cent drop in utilisation almost overnight. The UK and New York City are considering a similar move and the Mayor of Seattle is proposing a 20 cent ‘green fee’ on all disposable bags with the city issuing one reusable bag to each household.

According to John Albertson, CEO of the NZ Retailers Association, similar initiatives are not necessary in New Zealand but we do need to find a balance. “For example we don’t want people going back to using kitchen tidy liners as they are a thicker plastic and even less biodegradable than supermarket bags,” he says.

Research commissioned by the Association shows 64 per cent of New Zealander’s surveyed support voluntary reduction of plastic bag use, 20 per cent support a total ban on bags and seven per cent support a tax on plastic bags. There are several organisations developing positive alternatives to plastic bags in New Zealand with some councils picking them up from the curb for recycling. From there they can be made into durable plastic planks useful for boxing, pallets and fenceposts.

The good news is that New Zealanders appear to be sitting up and taking notice of the issue without being thrown an enforced hard line initiative. The message is: reuse and recycle.

Points To Consider

• It is estimated that 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide annually. Billions end up as litter each year.
• According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually.
• According to the industry publication Modern Plastics, Taiwan consumes 20 billion bags a year—900 per person.
• According to Australia’s Department of Environment, Australians consume 6.9 billion plastic bags each year—326 per person. An estimated .7 per cent or 49,600,000 end up as litter each year.
• In New Zealand the Make A Difference Campaign figures (2004) showed the stores involved at the time (The Warehouse and Progressive Enterprises and Foodstuffs supermarkets) go through 720 million bags per year.
• Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
• Windblown plastic bags are so prevalent in Africa that a cottage industry has sprung up harvesting bags and using them to weave hats, and even bags.
• Plastic bags were never or rarely seen in the outermost regions of the earth such as Antartica, but now according to scientists who work there, they are often cited.
• For further information visit: reducerubbish.govt.nz; zero waste.co.nz

Countries Against Plastic Bags

• These countries have either banned or introduced plastic bag levies, or they’re thinking about it.
• Australia – Coles Tasmania has banned. Australians are encouraged to use green re-usable bags and the Federal Government is thinking of phasing out plastic bags.
• Bangladesh – Banned as they are thought to have been the cause of flooding
• China – banned as of 1 June 2008.
• France – most supermarkets charge a fee with a nationwide ban proposed for 2010
• Germany – a fee of 5 to 25 cents per bag is charged with a re-usable option offered for 1 euro.
• India – plastic bags for food items are banned.
• Ireland – the first country to introduce Plastax at about 0.15 euro a bag. Re-usable options are offered for 1 euro
• South Africa – a levy of about two to three Euro cents is charged per bag.
• The UK and US are introducing various initiatives depending on the area. Many of the UK’s big chains such as Tesco, Waitrose and Marks & Spencers are introducing their own initatives and many of the separate States in America are doing the same.