A Bad Wrap: How to Embrace Plastic Bag-Free Shopping
The writing's on the wall for single-use plastic bags. Be ready to give them the flick for the good of the planet
In 1997, while sailing from California to Hawaii, ocean-racing American yachtsman Charles Moore made a shocking discovery. “As I gazed from the deck at the surface of what ought to have been a pristine ocean, I was confronted, as far as the eye could see, with the sight of plastic”. This giant rubbish raft has been named ‘The Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ and is a vortex of floating litter brought together by ocean currents – an unsavoury soup of the non-biodegradable stuff we throw away. There is more than one of these huge trash islands, and they are growing by the day.
Australia is joining the fight to reduce environmental damage caused by single-use plastics. Recent changes in how we carry our purchases home may be just a drop in the ocean, but it’s a start. Get on board with the plastic-bag ban coming to a shop near you.
Australia is joining the fight to reduce environmental damage caused by single-use plastics. Recent changes in how we carry our purchases home may be just a drop in the ocean, but it’s a start. Get on board with the plastic-bag ban coming to a shop near you.
Bye bye bags
A 2018 survey estimated one trillion single-use plastic bags are used globally each year – which equates to two million a minute. Bans, fees or fines are now in place in many countries, with Denmark ahead of the field, placing a charge on plastic bags from 1994. Clean Up Australia says we currently use four billion bags a year – about 170 per person. Just three per cent of these are recycled.
A 2018 survey estimated one trillion single-use plastic bags are used globally each year – which equates to two million a minute. Bans, fees or fines are now in place in many countries, with Denmark ahead of the field, placing a charge on plastic bags from 1994. Clean Up Australia says we currently use four billion bags a year – about 170 per person. Just three per cent of these are recycled.
Slowly but surely
Australia’s adoption of bans has been a scattered affair, implemented at local and state level, not nationally. Tasmania led with local bans starting in 2003. South Australia followed in 2009, Northern Territory and ACT in 2011. Victoria is set to adopt measures and Queensland and Western Australia will ban single-use lightweight plastic bags from major retailers on July 1. NSW lags behind, but pressure is mounting on the government to join the other states.
Now and Then: How Australian Life Has Changed in a Generation
Australia’s adoption of bans has been a scattered affair, implemented at local and state level, not nationally. Tasmania led with local bans starting in 2003. South Australia followed in 2009, Northern Territory and ACT in 2011. Victoria is set to adopt measures and Queensland and Western Australia will ban single-use lightweight plastic bags from major retailers on July 1. NSW lags behind, but pressure is mounting on the government to join the other states.
Now and Then: How Australian Life Has Changed in a Generation
Supermarkets taking action
Australia’s main supermarkets have been the biggest users of single-use plastic bags. Coles and Woolworths, while abiding by bans in other states, have also included NSW outlets in their proposed bans. Other major retailers are voluntarily entering the arena by offering options.
The ban only applies to high-density polyethylene or HDPE bags, thinner than 35 microns – your common, garden-variety supermarket bag.
And they’re not the only retailers taking positive action for the environment. Ikea’s Tempe store recently announced its first take-back service, allowing Sydneysiders to bring back any of their old Ikea furniture in exchange for a store voucher for their recycling efforts.
Australia’s main supermarkets have been the biggest users of single-use plastic bags. Coles and Woolworths, while abiding by bans in other states, have also included NSW outlets in their proposed bans. Other major retailers are voluntarily entering the arena by offering options.
The ban only applies to high-density polyethylene or HDPE bags, thinner than 35 microns – your common, garden-variety supermarket bag.
And they’re not the only retailers taking positive action for the environment. Ikea’s Tempe store recently announced its first take-back service, allowing Sydneysiders to bring back any of their old Ikea furniture in exchange for a store voucher for their recycling efforts.
What you’ll be offered at the checkout
If you pop into Woolies without a bag, for a limited time free reusable bags are available, following this, as at Coles you can buy a 15 cent plastic bag, a 99 cent foldable bag or a $2.49 chiller bag, all reusable. Coles will also offer a $1 multi-use bag. Other ‘green’ bags will stay on sale.
Woolies spokesman Adrian Cullen said the 99 cent bag has a lifetime guarantee and will be replaced free of charge if damaged. Profits from the bag sale go to their Junior Landcare Program.
If you pop into Woolies without a bag, for a limited time free reusable bags are available, following this, as at Coles you can buy a 15 cent plastic bag, a 99 cent foldable bag or a $2.49 chiller bag, all reusable. Coles will also offer a $1 multi-use bag. Other ‘green’ bags will stay on sale.
Woolies spokesman Adrian Cullen said the 99 cent bag has a lifetime guarantee and will be replaced free of charge if damaged. Profits from the bag sale go to their Junior Landcare Program.
A better – and cheaper – tactic is to bring your own reusable shopping container. You’ll find an enormous number of eco-friendly and affordable options, including jute, canvas, wax-lined cloth, kraft paper and non-woven bags. Or you could use a sturdy cane basket – a solution that suited our mothers and grandmothers just fine.
Tip: Many reusable bags can be tossed in the washing machine after several uses as they can collect dirt from unbagged produce and the boot of your car.
Dirty Laundry: 11 Functional Storage Spaces in Tricky Places
Tip: Many reusable bags can be tossed in the washing machine after several uses as they can collect dirt from unbagged produce and the boot of your car.
Dirty Laundry: 11 Functional Storage Spaces in Tricky Places
A common question is what to do without single-use bags that fit perfectly in a standard bin. We have already adapted to recycling and composting and general garbage levels in most households have decreased. Take it further: line the bin with newspaper, wrap messy items in newspaper, and keep garbage as dry as possible by rinsing liquids from containers. The bin can then be emptied and rinsed clean with a garden hose.
Adapting to change
There have been a few grumbles, mainly from shoppers reluctant to change. There are a few habits you can get into to help the transition.
There have been a few grumbles, mainly from shoppers reluctant to change. There are a few habits you can get into to help the transition.
- Hang multiple bags in your entryway, enough for everyone to grab one as they leave the house.
- Hang a bag on the front doorknob, or a reminder sign on the back of the door you usually leave by.
- Put several bags in your car in a prominent spot so you don’t leave the car without one.
- Put your car keys in a bag so you don’t leave home without one.
- Buy a couple of bags that fold up small and keep them in your handbag or backpack.
- Return bags to their storage spot when you have emptied them of shopping items.
- Keep a couple at your workplace, such as in a desk drawer, for lunchtime shopping trips.
Making space
Joining the ban-the-bag army means finding space to store the alternatives. Paper bags can be stored flat in a drawer, and there are many plastic alternatives that fold up into next-to-nothing for handbags and car glove boxes. You may even find these take up less space than the mountains of supermarket bags you have squirrelled away.
Display good-looking bags on hooks in your entry or kitchen. Canvas, straw, calico and string bags have a naturally lovely look and bright prints add a dash of colour.
See more delightful hallways
Joining the ban-the-bag army means finding space to store the alternatives. Paper bags can be stored flat in a drawer, and there are many plastic alternatives that fold up into next-to-nothing for handbags and car glove boxes. You may even find these take up less space than the mountains of supermarket bags you have squirrelled away.
Display good-looking bags on hooks in your entry or kitchen. Canvas, straw, calico and string bags have a naturally lovely look and bright prints add a dash of colour.
See more delightful hallways
The four Rs
Clean Up Australia suggests using these four strategies to reduce your use of plastics:
Refuse a bag for just a few items and consolidate purchases into one bag rather than one from every shop. Avoid accepting a thick plastic bag when possible.
Reduce your weekly bag use. Count what you use and set a lower target. Use paper bags for lunches and don’t bag items with handles, such as dry dog food and nappies.
Reuse wherever possible. If you can’t avoid a plastic bag, find ways to reuse it at least once.
Recycle responsibly. Don’t put recycling in plastic bags, ensure recyclables are clean, and seek out local businesses that accept unwanted plastic bags.
Clean Up Australia suggests using these four strategies to reduce your use of plastics:
Refuse a bag for just a few items and consolidate purchases into one bag rather than one from every shop. Avoid accepting a thick plastic bag when possible.
Reduce your weekly bag use. Count what you use and set a lower target. Use paper bags for lunches and don’t bag items with handles, such as dry dog food and nappies.
Reuse wherever possible. If you can’t avoid a plastic bag, find ways to reuse it at least once.
Recycle responsibly. Don’t put recycling in plastic bags, ensure recyclables are clean, and seek out local businesses that accept unwanted plastic bags.
Tell us
What do you think about the plastic-bag ban? Share your thoughts in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like or share this story and save the photos. Join the conversation.
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Read more stories on sustainable living
What do you think about the plastic-bag ban? Share your thoughts in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like or share this story and save the photos. Join the conversation.
More
Read more stories on sustainable living
In 1965, Swedish company Celloplast introduced the plastic bag to the world. It revolutionised the shopping experience: stronger than paper, waterproof, reusable and cheaper for businesses to provide to shoppers. After almost universal adoption, it began to lose its appeal by the 1980s as concerns were raised about the damage discarded plastic bags were doing to our ecosystems.