Plastic Bag Reduction
Reducing our use of plastic check out bags is an important step in the march towards a sustainable future. Each plastic bag you don't use represents resources saved and these can be put to good use by future generations of Australians.
Australians currently use 3.9 billion plastic bags annually, which means on overage over 10.6 million new bags are used every day, or that we each use 175 a year. That's a bag habit!
Many retailers now offer durable, reusable bags for their customers as alternatives to single-use 'check-out style' plastic bags. In South Australia, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, this type of plastic bag is now banned in retail stores.
To find out how you can reduce your plastic bag use or even go plastic bag free, visit our Tips for Shoppers, Tips for Retailers , Tips for your Kitchen and Tips for Towns pages. To find out where to recycle your plastic check out bags, visit RecyclingNearYou.com.au.
Visit the other pages on this site to find out all about plastic bags, their effects on the environment and wildlife; the Planet Ark Plastic Bag Reduction Campaign from 2002-2005; how towns and communities across Australia went plastic bag free; what other countries are doing to deal with the problem of plastic bags, and more!
News
ACT's ban on plastic bags starts today
01-Nov-11
After a 4-month roll-out period, the ACT's ban on plastic bags is now in effect.
Single-use plastic bags banned in the Northern Territory
01-Sep-11
The Northern Territory's ban plastic bag ban starts today.