Plastic Bag Phase-Out

What’s happening now?
Zero Waste SA task force
What’s wrong with plastic bags?
Environmental benefits of alternatives
Suppliers of alternatives
What about bio-degradable bags?
What about bin liners?
Information for retailers
Links
Reports

What’s happening now?

South Australia will lead the nation when it bans single-use plastic bags from January 2009. Zero Waste SA’s market research has found that South Australians accept the need to stop using single use plastic bags and consider that once they have been phased out, shoppers and retailers will quickly adapt.Click here to read the report. (307Kb PDF) 

Zero Waste SA task force

The Government will continue to work with retailers and unions to promote a smooth phase out of the bags at the end of the year and to ensure risks for shop assistants are minimised.

Zero Waste SA has been working with a task force comprising the State Retailers Association of South Australia, Hardware Association of SA Inc., Restaurant & Catering SA, Consumers' Association of South Australia, Conservation Council, Local Government Association, KESAB environmental solutions, and the Shop Distributive & Allied Employee’s Association. The task force approved the terms of reference for market research to evaluate community and retailer needs in relation to the phase-out. Click here to read the report. (307Kb PDF)

What’s wrong with plastic bags?

Plastic bags are seen as a symbol of a wasteful society as they are a form of packaging that is often not essential. Plastic bags are a problem for various reasons:

• As a single use disposable form of packaging, plastic bags are typically used for a short period of time but take hundreds of years to break down in landfill (National Plastic Bags Working Group, Report, page 5).
• Plastic bags are an extremely visible and unsightly component of litter. If plastic bags continue to be used, the number of bags littering the environment will increase over time. Local and State Governments around Australia spend more than $200 million per year picking up litter.
• The production of plastic bags accounts for some 37,000 tonnes of plastic polymer derived from non-renewable resources. While plastic bags can be recycled, only a tiny proportion of plastic bags are collected and reprocessed.
• Plastic bags are considered to be a 'free' commodity, but the cost to households of $10 to $15 per year is added to the price of goods that they purchase.
• Planet Ark estimates that plastic bags kill at least 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year.

Environmental benefits of alternatives

Zero Waste SA is frequently asked about the environmental benefits of alternatives to plastic bags. A report by the Department of the Environment and Heritage, Plastic Shopping Bags – Analysis of Levies and Environmental Impacts (2002). includes a table which lists 10 bag types and their environmental impacts. The table includes the single use plastic bag through to paper and ‘green’ bags, comparing the amount of material consumed, the potential for litter, the amount of energy consumed in manufacture and the greenhouse impact. Click here [http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/waste/plastic-bags/analysis.html ] and refer to Table 4.3 – Assessment of Alternatives (page 36).

Suppliers of alternatives

If you would like your business to be listed here please email your details to zerowaste@zerowaste.sa.gov.au. The listing of any company on this website does not imply Zero Waste SA’s endorsement of the company. Also visit Planet Ark for an overview of the range of alternatives to plastic bags, including solutions for transporting wet and temperature-sensitive products.

List of Suppliers of alternatives to plastic bags

What about bio-degradable bags?

Only appropriately tested materials should be used to make bio-degradable bags. Zero Waste SA regards Standards Australia as the best qualified organisation to determine testing procedures and criteria.

Australian Standard AS 4736-2006 Biodegradable plastics – Biodegradable plastics suitable for composting and other microbial treatment sets out the requirements and procedures to determine the compostability of plastics.

Not all biodegradable bags are compostible. Therefore, this standard:

• Provides a basis to allow labelling of products made from plastics as compostable.
• Requires that a range of criteria be met for a product to be described as compostable, such as biodegradability of the product and the quality of the compost produced.

Bio-degradable bags should be compostable. They should:

• Disappear and leave no visible trace.
• Disintegrate in a reasonable timeframe (e.g. 3 months or 6 months).
• Not leave behind any toxic residues.

Further information about the standard can be obtained from Standards Australia or you can order the standard here.

What about bin liners?

We’ve only been using bin liners for a few decades – prior to that, people had other ways of keeping their bins clean, such as wrapping rubbish in newspaper, or putting their rubbish directly into the bin and washing it after emptying.
Using plastic bags to line bins has become an easy, but environmentally unfriendly, alternative to wrapping rubbish or washing bins. When the plastic bag phase-out occurs, it is important that people don’t replace plastic shopping bags with purchased plastic bin liners. While there is no one simple replacement for bin liners, we can still be environmentally friendly by reducing waste, reusing plastic bags (such as bread bags) to wrap rubbish, minimising wrapping.
Now that standards for biodegradable plastics have been introduced, we recommend that you choose bags that will degrade fully in landfill, such as those made from cornstarch.
Click here to read more about bin liner alternatives. (3.4Mb PDF)

Information for retailers

What is the date of the phase-out?
The South Australian Government is urging the Environment Protection and Heritage Council to ban single-use plastic shopping bags from 1 January 2009. Zero Waste SA suggests that you start planning now for the phase-out, so that you can consider and order alternatives, use up existing stock, make changes (if needed) to counter and sales areas, train your staff and inform your customers. See the Australian Retailers Association Voluntary Code of Practice for more information Australian Retailers Association (65Kb PDF).

Will the phase out apply to all retailers?
Yes. Every retailer will need to comply and the phase-out date will be the same across South Australia. Large and small retailers, supermarket and non-supermarket retailers, and take-away food shops will all be affected by the phase-out.

Which bags are affected by the phase-out?
The phase-out applies to light-weight, single-use ‘singlet’ plastic shopping bags (HDPE bags), including biodegradable bags. At this stage, the phase out will not apply to reusable LDPE boutique bags or to barrier bags used, for example, for fruit and vegetables, although it is desirable to reduce all plastic bag use.

What are the alternatives to plastic bags?
Plastic bag producers are aware of the phase-out and many are repositioning to offer alternatives. There are a number of new bag producers entering the market, so there will be plenty of choice. The Australian Government, Clean Up Australia, and the Australian Retailers Association have joined forces to provide advice, information and a range of free materials and resources to help retailers and their customers say ‘NO’ to plastic bags. The 'Say NO to Plastic Bags' program encourages shoppers and retailers, particularly small business operators, to start using alternatives and increase plastic bag recycling. Click here for more information

Links for retailers

Say NO to Plastic Bags
http://www.noplasticbags.org.au/phaseOut/default.aspx
Provides information about why plastic bags need to be eradicated, things you’ll need to think about in planning your phase out, food safety and hygiene, and alternatives to plastic bags.

Planet Ark
http://www.planetark.com/campaignspage.cfm/newsid/7/story.htm
Useful tips on moving from plastic to sustainable bags. Lists the benefits of reducing plastic checkout bags.

http://www.planetark.com/campaignspage.cfm/newsid/95/story.htm
Overview of issues relating to phasing out plastic bags, links to reports and suppliers of plastic bag alternatives.

http://www.planetark.com/campaignspage.cfm/newsid/99/newsDate/95/story.htm
Stories from large non-supermarket retailers that have banned plastic bags.

Links

Australian Government Department of Environment and Heritage
http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/waste/plastic-bags/challenge.html
Getting communities involved and more tips on how to reduce plastic bag use.

Sustainability Victoria
http://www.sustainability.vic.gov.au/www/html/1880-just-say-no-community-campaign.asp#anchor1880
Six steps to help communities reduce plastic bag use including identifying a local 'champion' to drive the campaign on the ground. 

Clean up Australia
http://www.cleanup.com.au/au/Campaigns/say-no-to-plastic-bags.html
A range of practical information with frequently asked questions, useful facts and figures and information about the Say NO to plastic bags campaign. There is also a household plastic bag survey for school children at http://www.cleanup.com.au/PDF/au/household-plastic-bags-survey.pdf.

Keep Australia Beautiful
http://www.kesab.asn.au/uploads/File/kab/inquiry.html
A range of activities to develop student knowledge and skills using an inquiry based, integrated approach. Teachers can modify the program and alternate between individual, group and whole class learning strategies.

Reports
A report commissioned in 2008 by the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SA) examines the impact of the plastic bag phase-out for shop assistants. Click here for the summary of recommendations (PDF 360Kb). Click here for the full report (PDF, 620Kb).

In 2003 the Environment Protection and Heritage Council accepted a code of practice by the Australian Retailers Association (65Kb PDF) to reduce the consumption of plastic bags. To see other background reports commissioned by the Environment Protection and Heritage Council and the Department of Environment and Heritage click here.

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