The Sydney Morning Herald 01.10.08

The days of the plastic bag are numbered, with the Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, likely to impose either a levy on each bag handed to shoppers, or to ban them outright within 12 months. Garrett has confirmed he will move to phase out bags "by the end of the year", after consulting state governments in March.

Link: Plastic Bags Join Endangered List

theage.com.au 05.28.07

Two school children have beaten off adult competition from around Australia to dazzle the United Nations with their campaign to banish plastic shopping bags from Armstrong Street in Middle Park, Australia. And, after the project reduced plastic bag use in the shopping strip by 34 per cent in its first four months, they have been selected as finalists for the United Nations Association of Australia's 2007 World Environment Day Awards.

Link: Green-minded pair hope to have UN award in the bag

Star News Group

The people of Cockatoo are being urged to swap plastic bags for more environmentally friendly alternatives. Cardinia Shire Council and Sustainability Victoria are joining forces with Cockatoo retailers to take up the challenge to make the town plastic bag- free. The people of Cockatoo are invited to join the campaign “Cockatoo: a plastic bag free town." Ranges Ward councillor Graeme Legge said that after the launch of the campaign, retailers will be urging their customers to say no to plastic bags. Cr Legge said people need to also make sure they remember to use their reusable bags whenever they shop in Cockatoo.

Link: Council appeals for shoppers to dump plastic bags.

AdelaideNow

South Australians lead the nation in their support for a ban on plastic bags, a Newspoll survey says.
Nine out of 10 people surveyed (91%) said they were in favour of a ban on plastic bags to help reduce landfill, damage to marine life and greenhouse pollution.

Legislation is being developed and there will be a consultation process.

Link: Strong support for plastic bag ban.

Scoop

Collingwood's plastic bag-free declaration is absolutely brilliant, Parliament's waste-free campaigner Green MP Mike Ward says.

The Golden Bay Bag Ladies have campaigned for plastic bags to be banned from the Bay for some time, a call consistently supported by Nelson-based Mr Ward and Green Co-Leader Rod Donald, who joined them on their anti-bag action on Takaka Hill last New Years. All the retailers of Collingwood have now agreed to stop giving out plastic shopping bags and to offer reusable cloth bags instead. Yesterday Helen Clark and Damien O'Connor joined the Bag Ladies in declaring Collingwood the country's first plastic bag-free town.

"Succeeding in slashing plastic bag consumption by 50 percent across the whole of Golden Bay is an impressive achievement by the Bag Ladies, but Collingwood's new commitment is a first for New Zealand and a landmark in the campaign to cut the nation's waste mountain," Mr Ward says...

Link: Scoop: Plastic bag-free Collingwood is brilliant.

GreenBiz.com

Supermarkets are on track to achieving a 25% reduction in plastic bag use by the end of this year, according to Australian Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr. David Kemp.

"I'm delighted to say that supermarkets have responded magnificently to Governments' challenge to slash the number of plastic bags they issue," Dr. Kemp said.

"The major supermarkets have cut plastic bag use by more than 200 million in the past year and consumers right around the country are also doing their bit and are using fewer plastic bags and more reusable ones."

Link: Aussie Supermarkets Slash Plastic Bag Use.