Action on the plastic bag problem

Australian, state and territory environment ministers recently asked all Australians to work towards the goal of reducing plastic bag litter by 75% by the end of 2004 and to reduce plastic bag use by 50%. To help achieve these targets the Department of the Environment and Heritage is supporting Clean Up Australia undertake a national plastic bag awareness campaign.

The campaign Bag Yourself a Better Environment. Retailers and the community are being asked to reduce the use of plastic shopping bags, increase plastic bag recycling and reduce the amount of
plastic bag litter. Information on the Bag Yourself a Better Environment campaign can be found on the Clean up Australia web page: www.cleanup.com.au .

The Department of the Environment and Heritage recognizes that plastic bag litter is a serious environmental concern, and is currently working with, state and territory governments, industry, and the community to undertake a package of actions to reduce the impact of plastic bags on the Australian environment.

These actions included:

Setting the goal of reducing plastic bag litter by 75% by the end of 2004;

Developing and implementing a strong National Retailers Code of Practice for the Management of Plastic Retail Carry Bags
by April 2003, which will set ambitious targets for recycling and reducing plastic bag use;

Developing legislative options, including a possible plastic bag levy or ban on plastic bags;

Developing a coordinated national customer and retailer awareness program; and Committing $60,000 to undertake a comprehensive study on the full impact on the introduction of degradable plastic bags into Australia

Plastic bags are of significant concern in marine and other aquatic environments, as aquatic life can be threatened through entanglement, suffocation, and ingestion.

Floating litter can travel considerable distances, with regional and sometimes global consequences. Any program to reduce plastic bag use and eliminate litter must include a mix of approaches. As part of this mix, Environment Protection and Heritage Council Ministers have asked officials to investigate the possibility of strengthening existing marine garbage debris recording initiatives and whether these
can be expanded to cover freshwater environments.

These programs generate the data necessary for gaining a better understanding of the nature of marine debris and will help assess the effectiveness of policies to reduce plastic bag littering.

Reports
the Nolan-ITU Plastic Shopping Bags Analysis of Levies and Environmental Impacts and the Department of the Environment and Heritage's
Plastic Bag Working Group Report are available online