Campaigners push for plastic bag levy

A nationwide campaign to push for a levy on plastic supermarket bags was launched yesterday.

The Get Real campaign wants Progressive Enterprises and Foodstuffs, owners of New Zealand's largest supermarkets, to charge for plastic bags at their supermarket counters.

Both companies signed the Packaging Accord in 2004 which set a goal of reducing the number of bags used by a fifth (144 million bags) this year.

Sustainable Wanaka general manager Sophie Ward, whose organisation was involved in the campaign, said supermarkets needed to make a real commitment to reducing the number of plastic bags given away each
year.

Nearly a billion plastic bags were buried in landfills each year, with others polluting outdoor spaces and being ingested by wildlife, she said.

Campaigner Angus Ho said experience here and overseas showed having to pay for plastic bags changed people's behaviour.

Plastic bags never completely broke down, Mr Ho said.

"They disintegrate into smaller and smaller pieces, taking over 500 years and ending up as plastic dust in the air and soil."

In a letter to Mr Ho, Environment Minister Nick Smith said the ministry was investigating the effectiveness and feasibility of a levy on plastic bags.

The organisers praised The Warehouse, which is to introduce a 10c levy on plastic bags from April 20.

A survey of 600 Warehouse customers showed 78 per cent supported the change, with 85 per cent of those affected by trials at stores saying they would choose not to use a plastic bag once the charge applied.

The cash collected from the levy will go to community groups and bags can be returned to Warehouse stores for recycling.

The Warehouse, along with Mitre 10 and Caltex, also signed the Packaging Accord.

By January this year, 100 million bags had been taken out of circulation as the campaign gained traction.

Bunnings and Borders had their own bag reduction schemes, with Borders reducing usage by 80 per cent in one year with a 10c levy.

The New Zealand Retailers Association opposed a ban or mandatory tax on plastic bags and rejected calls for New Zealand to follow the South Australian Government, which introduced a Plastic Shopping Bags (Waste Avoidance) Act on January 1.

The association previously said the industry was on track to reach targets voluntarily, so a ban or tax was not required.

Ireland and Taiwan both reduced plastic bag use by more than 90 per cent through a small levy, Get Real organisers said. India introduced a 100,000 rupee ($3800) fine and possible jail time for selling or even carrying a non-biodegradable plastic bag.

An open letter to the supermarkets can be signed at www.getreal.org.nz.

- NZPA