22/03/2005 - At a meeting
of industry and environment groups at Parliament
House today, the Minister for the Environment
and Heritage Senator Ian Campbell welcomed
a set of draft principles to phase out plastic
bag use by the end of 2008.
Convening the second roundtable on plastic
bags, the Minister said a set of principles
would be drawn up in conjunction with industry
by 22 June and that retailers would then be
encouraged to sign up.
Retailers who signed on to the principles
seeking a phase-out of plastic bags by 2008
would be publicly recognised for their commitment.
"Today, we heard of a lot of good work
being done, including the work of Clean Up
Australia and Planet Ark to build community
and retailer awareness.
"The proposed agreement that came out
of the meeting today should be seen as part
of the road map that will take us towards
zero plastic bag use.
"Publishing the agreement together with
a list of signatories will ensure that consumers
know when they go shopping exactly which retailers
have signed up and are working with the Government
to get rid of plastic bags.
"We also discussed the need to let retailers
know of the financial benefits of making the
switch away from plastic bags - benefits that
come from the cost saving of providing plastic
bags and profits from selling re-usable bags
near the checkouts.
"Overall, I was encouraged by the good
results being achieved by many retailers.
But Planet Ark's study released today shows
that many more retailers still need to engage
with the phase out program.
"The study found that many small businesses
are not linked into any association and this
is making it very difficult to get the message
through."
Senator Campbell again congratulated major
supermarkets for the significant action they
have taken to reduce plastic bags in the last
12 months.
"A report this month by Nolan ITU found
that Australians have reduced plastic bag
use by around 21 per cent since 2002, with
supermarkets reducing their use of lightweight
plastic bags by 25 per cent," Senator
Campbell said.
"The commitment of these supermarkets
and other retail outlets such as Bunnings
and Ikea in reducing plastic bags provides
an example that all retailers should follow."
