Ban The Bag

THE PROBLEM

What a waste of our valuable resources, not to mention the Greenhouse Gases liberated in the production of these bags!

Over the last decade since state environment ministers undertook to ban the bag, 1.2 billion have ended up in the litter stream.

Clean Up volunteers report that 8% of the plastics they remove from our streets, parks, beaches, bushland and waterways are plastic bags.

These bags are killers once they enter our environment. Their victims - the animals that ingest them - choke, smother or die of malnutrition.

It's a horrible way for our beautiful wildlife to die, but you can make a difference. Say no at the checkout and help us campaign to #BanTheBag
CHANGE STARTS WITH YOU

Buy a reusable shopping bag, preferably one that is recyclable or compostable at the end of its life.

Say no at the checkout and help us campaign to #BanTheBag.

Support outlets that no longer offer plastic bags at the checkout.


ADVOCACY PARTNERS

ADVOCACY SUPPORTERS

WHSmith
More Info and Action 

Call for a NSW Ban

Queensland Goes Plastic Bag Free

Plastic bags - FAQ

About the Campaign
#BanTheBag Latest News 


STOP PRESS: JULY 2018

W H Smith goes plastic bag free!

Fashion Retailers within the Noni B Group - NONI B, W.Lane, BeMe, Rockmans and TABLE EIGHT partner with Clean Up Australia to reduce single use plastic bags at counters across Australia.

Colesreusable bags are now in-store. Keep an eye out for the stunning pineapple hessian bag designed by Reem!

Rebelin Queensland launches their reusable bag - stay tuned for the Australia wide roll-out which will commence in October.

KATIES launches their loyalty bag, with proceeds donated to Clean Up.

STOP PRESS: 17 OCTOBER 2017

The Victorian government has bowed to community pressure with Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews today announcing his state will join with others in banning single use lightweight plastic shopping bags.

This announcement leaves New South Wales as the lone state under which retailers that have not opted to eliminate plastic bags at their check-out have a free ride to continue to hand out bags without any controls over their disposal.

STOP PRESS: 12 SEPTEMBER 2017

Western Australia joins Queensland in announcing a ban of lightweight plastic bags from July 2018.
STOP PRESS: 14 JULY 2017

Reflective of the great uptake by shoppers to their voluntary reduction of plastic bags at the checkout, HARRIS FARM MARKETS has announced it will be completely plastic bag free by 1 January 2018, making it the first grocer in NSW to #BanTheBag

On 14 July WOOLWORTHS and COLES announced they would be implementing their ban of single use lightweight plastic bags nationally from 1 July 2018.


In the case of WOOLWORTHS this ban is extended beyond their supermarket chain to BIG W, BWS and online.
Call for a NSW Ban
Clean Up Australia is disappointed that New South Wales continues to ignore community calls to demonstrate environmental leadership by declining to ban the single use singlet style plastic bag.

The New South Wales Premier and her team espouse a 40% litter reduction target for 2020 but have failed to respond to the strong community call to eradicate an item that is reported by Clean Up volunteers to represent 8% of plastic rubbish they remove through their efforts. 


More than 1 million or 35% of Harris Farm Market customers voluntarily said NO to the bag at checkouts across the state May-July 2017; clearly demonstrating community willingness to replace plastic.

169,000 people signed The Project petition asking the premiers of New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia to join with other states to #BanTheBag to give communities a nationally consistent shopping experience.
The New South Wales government continues to ignore their communities. The good news is that Western Australia has responded by announcing their July 2018 ban on 12 September 2017, with Victoria following suit on 17 October of that year.

New South Wales continues sidestepping the issue by pushing the onus back onto retailers - a slap in the face to those and their shoppers who seek a level playing field.

Clean Up Australia will continue to work with responsible retailers like Coles, Harris Farm markets, Rebel and the Noni B Group which choose to replace plastic bags with alternatives and encourage communities to follow the example of Beecroft and other communities as they work towards plastic bag free precincts.
Harris Farm Joins the Campaign #BanTheBag

UPDATE: Harris Farm is plastic bag free at the checkout as of Jan 1 2018! This makes them the first grocer in NSW to go plastic bag free!

Read more about this awesome initiative and more of their sustainable action here:

During May - July 2017 Harris Farm Markets offered customers boxes or paper bags as an alternative to plastic in an attempt to reduce the number of plastic bags at checkout by 30%.

As in incentive to encourage uptake, Harris Farm donated 5c to Clean Up Australia for every customer who said NO to plastic.

The target of 1 million customers across 23 stores in NSW was surpassed by 31 July 2017.


A family owned business which has been in operation since 1971, Harris Farm prides itself on waste reduction and sustainability initiatives – such as Imperfect Picks, Curious Cuts, Love Local and Farmer Friendly Milk - all of which divert produce that would have been rejected by supermarkets from landfill.


STOP PRESS: 14 JULY 2017
Reflective of the great uptake by shoppers to their voluntary reduction of plastic bags at the checkout, Harrris Farm Markets  announced it will be completely plastic bag free by 1 January 2018, making it the first grocer in NSW to ban the bag.

QLD Goes Plastic Bag Free
The Queensland State Government has announced a plan to ban lightweight, single-use plastics bags by July 2018. 

This includes degradable (and probably) biodegradable bags. 

The ban excludes smaller barrier bags (without handles) and currently thicker department store style bags (more that 35 microns).
Degradable bags are included in the ban because they are designed to break into smaller pieces and are particularly dangerous to wildlife when littered. 

Biodegradable bags decompose too slowly in the marine environment, and because they are ‘biodegradable’ they tend to be littered more as consumers think that they are okay to discard.
Heavier plastic bags (over 35 microns) are not part of the ban, however, the government wants stores to voluntarily reduce the use of these heavier bags. 

The ban is due to come into effect on July 1st, 2018. There is a planned public awareness campaign ahead of the introduction.

Clean Up continues to encourage shoppers to say NO to the single use singlet style plastic bag at the checkout.

Should you not have a bag with you when you shop, buy a reusable bag or thicker bag for a fee. In South Australia, 81% of surveyed shoppers strongly support their bag ban, as do 73% of Territorians and 70% of people in the ACT. 

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