The Environment Minister announced this week a plan to phase out plastic bags

[Kiwi]

Dog lovers pooh-pooh plastic bag ban


Matthew Warren, Environment writer | January 12, 2008

PETER Garrett's latest attempt to re-establish his green credentials has given dog owners something to think about.
dogs

Britt Ruja with her dogs at Hawthorn Canal Reserve in Sydney's Leichhardt yesterday. Picture: Sam Mooy

Every morning across Australia - in parks, yards and reserves - some four million mutts defecate, secure in the knowledge their owner is on hand to pick up the remains with a plastic bag.

Australia has one of the highest levels of dog ownership, and yet despite the daily deposits made by so many dogs, experts believe we enjoy some of the cleanest parks and gardens in the world.

The Environment Minister announced this week a plan to phase out plastic bags by the end of the year.

And diligent dog owners have pricked up their ears.

"It is a critical impact issue for us that we need to have a look at," said Dogs Victoria chief executive Elizabeth White.

Ms White said Australians were world leaders in picking up after their pets, a task made easier by the plentiful supply of light and versatile plastic bags that accumulate under kitchen sinks.

She said dog owners may need education and resources to adopt new solutions in a bag-free world, including more biodegradable dog poo bag dispensers in parks and possibly a reusable system attached to dog leads.

"We're committed to getting dog poo picked up because of the health reasons and the enjoyment reasons," she said.

In its comprehensive report on waste management systems in 2006, the Productivity Commission warned that before implementing bans on plastic bags, it must be proved that the cost is worth the benefit.

Cost-benefit studies suggest a blanket ban to stop bags becoming litter - about 1 per cent of the total handed out each year - may be overkill.

Sydney dog owner Britt Ruja supports the introduction of a plastic bag ban but admits she keeps a supply of the bags on her dog lead whenever she takes her pets to the park near her Leichhardt home.

"I have no idea what I would use instead," she said. "My dogs are insane. Sometimes it's not one bag each but two or three each. That's a lot of bags I go through just with them."

Fellow dog owner Anita Widera runs a butcher's shop and warns that the bags cannot be banned from many fresh meat and fish shops.

"When you are out (with your dog) you have to use them," shesaid. "You can't do without them. I don't know why someone hasn't done more with the biodegradable ones."

[Boyana]

O this green bags,that they all have here.No!I got my here.no!No!

[Kiwi]

This garret skin headed drugged out hippy is a joke.

[Kiwi]

Time to ban plastic bags?
Sunday Star Times | Sunday, 20 January 2008

Kiwis are cutting back on plastic bag use, but is it enough? Emma Page investigates.

Six months into a campaign designed to slash supermarket plastic bag use, retailers say they're on target to cut consumption by 20% as global initiatives to ban the bags gain traction.

Kiwi shoppers plough through more than a billion bags a year, using roughly one bag a day each. Precious oil resources are used to produce the disposable bags and once used they take up space in landfill, make unsightly litter and kill marine animals.

The success of the Make a Difference supermarket campaign will be known in February. The campaign will measure whether consumers are reducing their bag use or switching to reusable alternatives.

Unlike Australia, New Zealand has no plans to completely ban plastic bags or charge consumers for them. Industry leaders and the government say voluntary schemes are best.

Retailers say three out of four Kiwis don't support a ban, and AC Nielsen research shows people would rather be reminded to cut down on bags than pay a tax. But grass root movements want change. They say a ban or levy on every bag would motivate shoppers and slash the numbers of bags released into the environment.

In Tasman district at the top of the South Island, the Golden Bay Bag Ladies have been vocal about the issue for three years, helping Collingwood become New Zealand's first plastic bag-free town in 2005.

Campaigner Nicola Basham says now is the time for New Zealand to follow overseas examples, especially as the country gears up to host World Environment Day in June.

"Wouldn't it be great if New Zealand would actually step up to the plate. It looks good... because it's got so much grass, but how about actually acting green and being part of the movement that is trying to get people to shop sustainably."

Globally, bans on plastic bags are growing with 40 countries, states and cities from Hong Kong to Zanzibar implementing or considering bans.

Last week China, whose citizens use three billion bags a day, pledged to ban the bags by June. Australia's new environmental minister, Peter Garrett, intends introducing a levy or banning bags by the end of the year. Other countries like Ireland have imposed a levy on bags, reducing use by 90% since 2002.

In New Zealand official efforts to cut bag use is made through the Packaging Accord 2004 a voluntary agreement between the government, industry, recyclers and councils to reduce the environmental impacts of packaging. Participating retailers, including supermarket chains, The Warehouse and Bunnings, have agreed to a 20% reduction in shopping bags by mid-2009.

Since 2005, Progressive Enterprises' supermarkets, Foodtown, Countdown, Woolworths, SuperValue and Fresh Choice, have cut plastic bag consumption by about 42 million bags, clocking up an 11.2% reduction. The sale of reusable eco-bags grew by 837%.

At Foodstuff's Pak 'N Save, New World and Four Square plastic bag use has been cut by more than 45 million over the past two years.

Other initiatives include the Green Party's Waste Minimisation Bill, introduced to parliament in 2006, and currently before a select committee. The bill is expected to pass this year and will encourage a reduction in the amount of waste produced and set up legal ways of imposing levies on waste to landfill.

The bill does not directly deal with plastic bags, but Greens' co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons says the party would support a substantial levy of about $1. Fitzsimons says the bigger issue is waste management, but reducing bag use is a good step that encourages people to think environmentally.

Many Kiwis are already taking action. In Auckand, the Waitakere City Council is considering a ban, while Kaikoura is aiming to be the first bag-free district in New Zealand. About 25 retailers there are asking for donations for plastic bags. Wanaka also has a campaign, with 30% of lakeside retailers plastic bag-free and 40% of locals take their own bags to the supermarket. Online campaign like BagNOT calls for a levy on all bags.