28 February 2007

Supermarket plastic bags - just say no

Green Party Waste Minimisation Spokesperson Nandor Tanczos today announced his plans to write to the heads of every supermarket chain in the country, urging them to pursue ways to cut down on the use of supermarket plastic bags.

"On 2005 figures, we go through some 800 million plastic bags in this country every year. A large amount of fossil fuels are consumed in the production of such staggering volumes, before we even consider what's entailed in transporting millions of bags to market.

"Some overseas countries - and the Pak'n'Save chain locally - have already introduced a mandatory charge, ranging from 5 cents to 20 cents per bag. That option may be worth considering further down the track, but other methods could achieve the desired effect of cutting back on demand.

"Supermarket chains could, for instance, require their check-out staff to ask customers if they could get by with fewer bags, or with none at all. Fewer plastic bags means savings for the supermarket, and good news for the environment, " Nandor says.

"The plastic bags issue is a reminder that we can all take simple, worthwhile steps to reduce our impact on the environment. Shoppers could readily adjust to bringing their own re-usable shopping bags to the supermarket.

"There is a wider economic issue involved. If we don't take steps to reduce the amount of waste, the burden ultimately falls on ratepayers to pick up the tab for disposal in landfills.

" The Greens have always emphasised fair trade, ahead of free trade. In the same way, cutting down on plastic bags is just another form of ethical shopping. In Hong Kong, anti-bag campaigner Angus Ho has shown that supermarkets can be convinced to take the lead in promoting a more responsible and selective use of plastic bags. There's no reason why similar tactics can't work here."

ENDS

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