"The Green Party’s ban on plastic bags will punish responsible consumers and may produce worse environmental outcomes", says ACT Leader David Seymour.

"Plastic waste gets into the environment as it's collected and transported to landfills. This isn't the fault of Kiwis who find plastic bags easy and convenient and dispose of them responsibly.

"In a classic case of unintended consequences, Greenpeace has warned that a plastic bag ban may result in worse environmental outcomes as supermarkets replace them with heavier plastic bags.

"If even Greenpeace can’t get behind this 'false solution', the Government needs to rethink its approach.

"No Green MP has a science degree, so it’s not surprising that this policy could end up hurting the environment.

"Just like the ban on oil and gas, it’s highly unlikely this policy will come with a robust cost-benefit analysis.

"This is classic Green Party virtue-signalling. A policy that sounds good, but won’t work."

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