4 October 2005

On Tuesday October the 4th, the South Island town of Collingwood will be the first to go plasticshoppingbagfree in New Zealand. The community celebrated its new status with a country style market, featuring a variety of local produce, arts and crafts, including organic baby clothes, hand made flax kete and willow baskets.

The retailers of Collingwood have taken the plunge and are no longer stocking plastic shopping bags, instead they are offering boxes, paper and cloth bags and encouraging the locals to bring their own. "Collingwood is a pioneering town, always has been, and still is." said Paddy Gillooly, owner of Farewell Spit Eco Tours, "This is a good thing for Collingwood, with a positive environmental impact".

Food Centre co-owner Col Thorne commented "the time is right for us to do it now, particularly with the price of oil going up" This brave step stems from the Golden Bay Bag Ladies' campaigning, which has also resulted in a sharp reduction in the numbers of plastic shopping bags used in Golden Bay.

They are thrilled with the news that all the Collingwood retailers are standing together to get rid of the wasteful, ubiquitous plastic shopping bag and hope that other kiwi communities will be inspired to follow Collingwood's lead.

ENDS

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