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2008/14: Should plastic bags be banned?





Introduction to the media issue

Video clip at right: Comedy duo John Clarke and Brian Dawe set up an "interview" with Environment Minister Peter Garrett on the touchy subject of banning plastic bags. If you cannot see this clip, it will be because YouTube is blocked by your network. To view the clip, access from home or from a public library, or from another network which allows YouTube clips.
What they said ...
'Creating recycled paper ... is a much more energy-intensive process than creating plastic bags. Plastic is also much easier to ship ... and weighs far less per item of shopping you take home'
Hank Green, writing for Eco Geek in January 2008

'The key ingredients in plastic bags are petroleum and natural gas, and the manufacturing of plastic bags accounts for 4 per cent of the world's total oil production ...'
From 'Plastic Grocery Bags:  The Ecological Footprint' published by the Vancouver Island Public Interest Research Group

The issue at a glance
On April 17 2008 Australian federal and state environmental ministers failed to reach an agreement on how plastic bags were to be phased out in this country.
In the absence of any agreement, no national levy or ban on plastic bags will be imposed in Australia.
However, South Australia will ban plastic bags from next January and Victoria will introduce a levy under a pilot program in two locations.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said he did not want to impose a levy on families already struggling with rising living costs. Mr Garrett announced, 'We've identified the need for an urgent working group to be established between government and industry to look at making sure retailers are exploring all the options that they have in front of them to increase the use of the green recycle bags and to lessen the use of plastic bags.'
The ministers also agreed to accelerate the consideration of biodegradable bags.  While some groups, in particular plastics manufacturers and some retailers have argued that banning plastic bags is an over-reaction, others have seen the failure to reach agreement on this issue as a major setback in environmental policy-making.