Environment Minister Stephen Dawson announced on 12 September 2017 that single-use plastic bags will be banned in Western Australia from the 1 July 2018.

This step will put Western Australia in line with actions that other states, such as South Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania have taken. Queensland has also undertaken to ban single-use plastic bags from the same date next year.

What plastic bags are banned, and what will you still be able to use?

What you will not be able to get anymore is the light-weight single-use bags.

The thicker, more durable bags available at some retail outlets will still be available. Barrier bags, such as those used to package meats will not be banned.

Is a ban on single-use plastic bags really going to save the environment?

When we look at the statistics available regarding the banning of single-use plastic bags in other states, we are confronted with mixed results.

In the Northern Territory, where single-use plastic bags have been banned since 2011, research has shown that plastic bag litter increased in the past five years. Heimo Schober, chief executive of the Keep Australia Beautiful Council in the Northern Territory, said, “The issue really is that the Government has introduced an act in writing, when it’s the people that we need to act.[1]”

The statistics in the ACT and Tasmania are quite different.

In these two areas, according to the National Litter Index of 2015-2016, a National Overview, Littering Locations, Case Studies, Rural Highways, Infrastructure and Graffiti, published by the Keep Australia Beautiful National Association in November 2016[2], the number of single-use plastic bags consumed by Tasmania and the ACT fell significantly and almost immediately after the bans came in to effect. The numbers have also been sustained.

Education and legislation should happen simultaneously

As in most things, education and the understanding of the need to change our habits, are paramount. If people do not care nor understand that using a plastic bag for a few minutes, then discarding it, will have an environmental impact for the next ten years, how will we make a change?

On a global scale, single-use plastic bags are a major culprit in the plastic contamination of our oceans and waterways. If the trends continue as they are, our oceans will contain more plastic than fish by the year 2050. Our oceans and waterways are becoming the dumping ground of plastic litter.

Every one of us is impacted by the waste products of our consumerism.

The simple answer to this question is, “No. Taking one source of litter away will not ‘save’ the environment, but it is a start, and however small that start is, it will make an impact. This impact may be the beginning of the butterfly effect that will put other chain reactions into play, and will hopefully culminate in a significant and sustainable change.”

Plas-Pak is continually looking at ways to minimise our carbon footprint, which will, in turn, limit the impact that plastics have on the environment. It is also important that in doing so, our clients are assured that they are working with a company that cares about them and their environment.