What is the Australian government doing to reduce plastic check-out bags?
The Federal and State Governments and the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) agreed to cut plastic check-out bag usage by 50 per cent by the end of 2005. The targets for reduction in plastic bag use were almost achieved with a 41% reduction by supermarkets and an overall reduction of 34% – from 5.95 billion down to 3.92 billion bags per year. The South Australian government has announced a ban on single-use HDPE plastic check out bags from May 4th, 2009 and other states are working towards a phase-out or reduction in plastic bag use. For more information, go to www.byobags.com.au.
