Thread: End of the plasic bags in Tas

The ACT went that way 2 years ago - now we have high grade plastic bags at the tip that will take 1000 years to degrade rather than light weight plastics bags that degrade in a few months. Most households and mine is the same, rarely use the reusable plastic bags more than once and they get used as kitchen garbage bags.

The woven poly bags get used a couple of times but get thrown out when food stuffs spoils the insides.

The ACT Govt to my knowledge has not released its report into the introduction of the bags as it has adverse comments on the impact on thr environment and the Government has to tread a fine line as it only stays in power with the help of the Greens.

These have little to do with the environment and more about Greens politics. It would have been easier to change the composition of the old bags so they self destructed a couple of weeks after use - the technology exists.

Garry

It appears to me that we have banana republic politicians in all levels of government

SA has been "bag free" for years. It has made a difference from what I have seen. Its also about time the other states put the 10c deposite on drink bottles and cartons as well. Drop a bottle or can in SA and its gone before you turn around.

BA HA HA HA HA HA HAAA HAAA!

Sorry to laugh at your unhappiness with this rule, I thought a few of the other states had allready gone this way. We in SA have been "bag free" for about 3 or 4 years I think, I now have more plastic bags floating about than ever because they cost you 15 cents and you keep them to re-use them.

Wait untill you complain to the checkout operator because they put two items in each bag and try and charge you for a dozen bags when you can stuff it all into one.

Wait untill the checkout operator refuses to use your pre-loved bags because they have signs of possible pre-loving, and they can't put food stuffs in incase there is something mouldy, cross contaminated or just plain ugly in or on the bag.

We use those green textile bags now, wife keeps them in the boot untill required.

Originally Posted by loanrangie

We use those green textile bags now, wife keeps them in the boot untill required.

Some comments about the "green bags"

"Australians are being conned," says a letter writer in The Age newspaper. "Your environmentally friendly green bags are made of plastic - polypropylene is a fossil fuel-based plastic. The bags are also imported from China. So, plastic, non-renewable, doing nothing for our balance of payments and guess what? You're paying for the privilege. Supermarkets are laughing all the way to the bank."

"I've just retired after 30 years in the packaging industry and, frankly, I'm amazed at the constant rave about the 'environmental' green bags ... Doesn't anyone realise these bags are made of the same 'almost indestructible' materials used in car bumpers and wheelie bins? ... These bags replace the plastic bags, which were in the throes of changing to a safe cornstarch biodegradable form ... what happens when these 'cool' bags reach their use-by date? Will there be millions of them in circulation?"

What a stupid waste. The original type degrade very quickly with UV etc, these 'new' ones are basically going to be around a fair bit longer in landfill and blowing around the streets etc I had a good rant to the checkout operator at coles this evening about it, explaining that a sea turtle could choke to death just as easily on these new bags, so what was the point???? Just gouging us a further 15c per bag doesn't really help the environment at all. It is just to make the doo gooder environmentalist lobby happy. Idiots.

I also mentioned (loudly )that the dolphin safe canned tuna stopped tasting good when the dolphin bits were removed....


JC

At least one Coles supermarket I know of, ie Echuca has or has had shopping bags made of jute - a natural fibre. Sell them for $3 as against $1 for the green synthetic woven bags. I have generally obtained more than three times the use out of them than green bags, which they are bigger than. Seem much more environmentally friendly than green bags and purchasing them is probably ultimately supporting jute growers in a third world country rather than large petrochemical companies.