A couple of decades ago a small group of us took on this challenge. We got Bellingen Shire Council to print our catch cry (BYO bag and say NO to plastic bags) on a hundred or so calico bags and handed them out for free in the street (mine’s still in use) and tried to get the supermarkets on side.

Since then I know of further failed attempts to achieve, what on paper, could seem quite a simple goal. There are many examples elsewhere of a positive shift.

Barwon Heads (of Sea Change fame) charging five cents per plastic bag and giving money raised back to the community/Anglesea and lots of other places becoming entirely plastic bag free.

In the UK they now put a small charge on plastic bags and in the first six months usage dropped by six million.

Old habits die hard, we all know that, but it's one every shopper could be helped to break which would have a dramatic effect on our environment in general & precious marine life in particular. How good would it be for Bello to become plastic free!

At Nambucca Shire Council’s Ordinary Council Meeting on February 9, 2017 the following report was tabled. The motion was passed.

SINGLE-USE PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS

RECOMMENDATION:

OPTIONS:

Council can choose not to be involved in matter. To some extent whether or not the Council has a position in the matter depends on the person’s view of the role of local government.

It can be argued that environmental regulation to minimise waste and encourage recycling is primarily a matter for the State Government and as such to ensure there is no misunderstanding of Council’s role and to avoid potential cost shifting, local government should not be involved in any aspect of the matter.

Alternatively, another view is that as per the provisions of the Integrated Planning and Reporting legislation, the Council has an important role in representing the broad range of the community’s interests whether or not they pertain to council functions.

Council could try and act alone by lobbying local retailers as per the Huskisson example.  However without any significant and demonstrable community backing and without any legislative force, Council is unlikely to have sufficient authority to achieve a change in behaviour.

DISCUSSION:

Council has received the following email and attached photograph from a local resident, Mr Richard Ennis, who is an avid campaigner for the beautification of the Nambucca Valley, particularly through initiatives to reduce litter and pollution and also through tree planting.

“Hi there!

No doubt you already know, but if not attached is a photograph providing the new ban at work in California.

Why not copy the Californian legislation and ban them in New South Wales too?  If you google into it you will see that the ban works with a minimum 10 cent payment for substitute bags to encourage reduce and reuse.

Let’s show we are fair dinkum about reducing litter and avoiding the looming plastic catastrophe in our environment.

California is setting the example to seriously challenge plastic bag litter.

Let’s do this at the same time as the 10 cent container deposit scheme starts on 1 July 2017.”

Mr Ennis submitted a photo showing the “ban” at work in California. 

The photo is attached.

Mr Ennis also put this suggestion to the EPA Environment Line who responded as follows:

“Hi Richard

Thanks for the feedback.  The environmental impacts of plastic shopping bags are a significant concern for many people.  The NSW Government shares these concerns and recognise the growing evidence on the impacts that plastic shopping bags have on the environment.

There is information on the EPA’s website relating to plastic bags – see

http://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/waste/plastic-shopping-bags.htm

The web page was last updated in February 2016 and does not include the outcomes for the Ministerial Roundtable, co-hosted by Mark Speakman MP, NSW Minister for the Environment and Heritage, and Steven Miles MP Queensland Minister for the Environment and Heritage Protection which was scheduled for 29 February 2016.

If you wish to contact the Ministers Office please to https://www.nsw.gov.au/minstercontactform/minister-environment-minister-heritage

At the local level single-use plastic shopping bags have been successfully phased out in a number of areas – notably Huskisson on the NSW South Coast.  Perhaps you can start to lobby for the same in Nambucca Heads.

Regards

Environment Line”

The observations of Mr Ennis are agreed.

It would require a minor change to people’s habits to avoid “single-use” shopping bags and even if a shopper forgets or is unable to bring reusable bags the cost of purchasing bags is relatively minor.  As noted by Mr Ennis the NSW Government has scheduled the commencement of container deposit legislation from 1 July 2017.  The logistics arising out of this legislation are far more significant than the impact of any fee requirement for single use plastic bags.

SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT:

Environment

The EPA paper which has a link in the discussion section of this report has extensive information about the effect of plastic shopping bags on the environment.  The paper identifies three major problems with the use of plastic bags as follows:

Australia wide, lightweight plastic shopping bags make up around 1.6% of litter based on the number of items.  It was estimated in 2002 that 50 to 80 million plastic bags were littered each year, and 10 to 20 million are collected through clean-up activities, with 40 to 60 million plastic bags permanently entering the environment each year.  As well plastic waste accounts for up to 80% of all litter found in marine habitats.

In relation to the use of plastic shopping bags the following general impacts need to be considered:

· Any decrease in plastic shopping bag litter, disposal to landfill or contamination in recycling bins resulting from legislation would have financial and resource benefit to local government, and indirectly to State and Federal Government.

· Any regulatory requirements would require compliance and enforcement agencies such as local councils and the relevant State authorities to ensure responsible parties are fulfilling their requirements.

· Government would also require resources to develop legislation, associated education and behaviour change campaigns.  Government would also initially and continually have to demonstrate the effectiveness of any legislation scheme.

· Any restriction on availability of plastic shopping bags or requirements to label plastic shopping bags may lead to:

Any change to kerbside recycling or bin infrastructure would require introducing new infrastructure and associated education and behaviour change campaigns.

Social

The social implications are unknown. The implementation of the initiative does require a relatively minor change to people’s habits.  The Aldi supermarket chain does not supply “free” single use plastic shopping bags.  If the growth of that chain is any indicator, then peoples’ habits will adjust where they identify a financial and/or environmental benefit to a legislative initiative.

Economic

It is important that any option adopted accurately defines which shopping bags are included and which retailers are affected by the proposed action, to ensure unintended loopholes, perverse outcomes or environmental impacts do not arise.  An assessment of consumer needs and alternative options is also required to ensure an effective option is chosen.  As with all regulatory decisions, choosing an action depends on which objective or problem we are seeking to address.