Plastic Bags
April 2008
At its meeting in April 2008, EPHC agreed to:
- Note the analysis presented in the Decision Regulatory Impact Statement on plastic bags, particularly the financial costs of regulatory options presented to Council.
- Note that, after considering all the options, Council has not endorsed uniform regulatory action at this time to ban or place a charge on plastic bags.
- Convene urgently a high level government-industry working group to identify additional measures by which retailers can increase the voluntary uptake of ‘green’ reusable bags and reduce the use of plastic bags, and report back to Council in November 2008.
- Intensify work on research and innovation initiatives relating to alternative products to plastic bags, including biodegradable plastic bags, and their potential use to reduce adverse impacts.
- Request EPH Standing Committee to investigate further options for nationally consistent action, including:
- hypothecation for environmental outcomes of a voluntary retailer charge using information from the Victorian pilot project, which will be made available to other jurisdictions; and
- other means of phasing out single use plastic bags, currently being investigated by the states.
- Develop a national plan of action on litter reduction, given broader concerns about the impacts of litter in Australia.
EPHC also agreed to publish the Decision - Regulatory Impact Statement: Investigation of Options to Reduce the Impacts of Plastic Bags and the Hyder Consulting report Plastic Retail Carry Bag Use - 2006 and 2007 Consumption. Copies of these documents can be downloaded below.
Note: Due to the size of the Decision Regulatory Impact Statement (including all the appendices) - two of the appendices can be downloaded separately.
January 2007
The Consultation Regulatory
Impact Statement: Investigation of options to reduce the environmental impact
of plastic bags, January 2007 was released
for public comment in January 2007.
The Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement (RIS) presents options to manage
the impact of plastic bag litter on the community and the Australian environment.
The Consultation RIS draws on the cost/benefit
analyses which were
released by the EPHC in September 2006. These analyses should be read in
conjunction with the RIS and are available from the links
below.
September 2006
In July 2005, the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) requested
an analysis of possible costs and benefits of a range of voluntary and regulatory
options for reducing the impact of plastic shopping bags on the environment.
The Allen Consulting Group (ACG) was commissioned to prepare this analysis.
EPHC considered the ACG analysis in June 2006, and agreed it should be released
for public information to inform debate on the use and management of plastic
bags.
The analysis consists of two reports by ACG which provide a cost/benefit analysis
of a range of conceivable plastic bag options. The reports (below) are accompanied
by an explanatory note.
May 2006
Governments have
been working with retailers to develop solutions to this problem and
in October 2003 the Australian Retailers Association introduced a Code of Practice
for the Management of Plastic Carry Bags. Recently, a new retailer association called
the Australian National Retailers Association (ANRA) was formed to represent
major retailers including the major supermarket chains. Both associations
have now reported to the Environment Protection and Heritage Council on the progress
that their members have made against the 2003 Code of Practice. The ANRA
report is also accompanied by a covering letter to Senator Ian Campbell,
Chairman of the EPHC.
June 2005
Guidelines for plastic bag litter management at public places and landfill sites
On 23 December 2002, the Environment Protection and Heritage Council agreed
to a package of measures to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags and
asked that specific proposals be developed for national action, including ways
of reducing the impact of plastic bags as litter. The Guidelines for Plastic Bag
Litter Management have been developed as a small part of the overall response
to the plastic bag litter issues.
High consumption rates of plastic bags have led to increased inappropriate
disposal of bags. Plastic bag litter can negatively impact on the community’s
perception of and use of public areas. It can also seriously harm or kill wildlife
and domestic animals.
Approximately 2% of all litter items are plastic bags, which are particularly
prone to becoming litter due to their low weight and ability to ‘balloon’
and travel in wind. Plastic bag litter can be accidental – arising during
management of an intended disposal site (whether a bin or landfill) - or may be
due to intentional littering behaviour.
The guidelines available below are:
- Guidelines for Management of Plastic Bag Litter at Landfill sites. These guidelines
have been developed to help managers of unattended and attended landfills reduce
generation of plastic bag litter and aim to protect residents and the environment
from the off-site effects arising from landfills receiving municipal waste.
- Guidelines for Management of Plastic Bag Litter in Public Places. These guidelines
have been developed for managers of outdoor public places such as shopping precincts
and parks.
March 2005
ARA Code of Practice for the management of Plastic
Bags – 2004 End of Year report
This report describes the progress of Group One (supermarket) retailers in implementing
the Code for the period of June to December 2004, and includes aggregated audited
results as well as descriptions of activities.
The report also contains information regarding the activities of the ARA regarding
Group Two (non-supermarket) retailers with respect to the Code.
This report is provided to the Environment Protection and Heritage Council and
its contents may be used publicly.
The detailed audit results of individual retailers are confidential and will remain
with the ARA.
Nolan ITU Interim Report of Plastic Retail
Carry Bag Use - 2002-2004 Consumption
This report, commissioned by the Commonwealth Department of Environment and
Heritage, has estimated the numbers of plastic carry bags used from import and
manufacturing data and from anecdotal information from manufacturers on where
bags are sold.
July 2004
ARA Code of Practice for the management of Plastic Bags - Mid-2004 Interim Progress
Report.
This interim report describes the progress of Group One (supermarket) retailers
in implementing the Code for the period of january to June 2004, and includes
aggregated audited results as well as descriptions of activities.
This report is provided to the Environment Protection and Heritage Council
and its contents may be used publicly.
The detailed audit results of individual retailers are confidential and will
remain with the ARA.
October 2003
In October 2003, EPHC formally accepted the Australian Retailers Association
Code
of Practice for the Management of Plastic Shopping Bags. EPHC called on all
retailers, particularly smaller operators to get behind the Code to ensure national
bag reduction and recycling targets are met.
EPHC also agreed to release the report on The Impacts of Degradable Plastic
Bags in Australia for public comment, noting that this report has not been endorsed
by EPHC or by individual jurisdictions. This report was revised in April 2004.
The revision can be found at the Commonwealth
Department for Environment and Heritage website.
August 2003
Australia’s Environment Ministers met on 1 August 2003 as the Environment
Protection and Heritage Council and agreed to accept a revised Code of Practice
developed by the Australian Retailers Association on the management of plastic
bags.
EPHC agreed to accept the Code as long as it includes:
- Baseline data on current levels of use and recycling will be provided by all
signatories to the Code.
- A transparent auditing standard and process will be put in place.
- Regular reports (e.g. six monthly) on implementation of the Code will be made
to the Ministers and be publicly available.
- Retailers would provide a transparent, fair market choice between light-weight
single use carry bags and multiple-use bags.
- The Retailers Association would enlist the signatures of as many small independent
retailers as possible.
December 2002
In December 2002, the Environment Protection and Heritage Council agreed to a
package of measures to reduce environmental impacts of plastic bags.
The EPHC had asked the National Packaging Covenant Council to provide specific
proposals for national action, including ways of reducing the impact of plastic
bags as litter.
Ministers noted the work undertaken by the National Packaging Covenant Council
and the National Plastic Bag Working Group in investigating workable approaches
to reducing the environmental impacts of plastic bags and agreed on a mix of short
and longer term actions, rather than a single instrument.
Ministers will ask industry and the community to work together to cut plastic
bags litter by 75 per cent by the end of 2004.
To assist the community to achieve these targets, EPHC agreed to the following
four critical short term actions:
- Government to develop legislative options, including a possible plastic bag
levy and ban on plastic bags
- Retailers to develop and implement a strong National Code of Practice for
the Management of Plastic Retail Carry Bags by April 2003, which includes targets
for recycling and reductions in plastic bag use. Ministers have challenged retailers
to meet the following targets for the Code over the next two years:
- 50% recycling rate for HDPE plastic bags
- 50% reduction in the number of HDPE plastic bags used
- 90% participation rate of retail chains and 25% participation rate of small
retailers in the Code.
Retailers are expected to make significant progress towards meeting these targets
by the end of 2003.
October 2002
In October 2002, the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC) established
an expert Working Group to investigate issues associated with plastic bag use
in Australia and put forward management options for reducing the impact of plastic
carry bags on the environment.
Erratum - National Plastic Bags Working Group Report to the National Packing Covenant Council
Please note that on page 9, the reference to the State of the Marine Environment report should read:
The 1995 State of the Marine Environment reports that marine debris originating from land-based sources is potentially more significant than marine debris originating from marine/sea vessels.
This replaces the current text:
The 1995 State of the Marine Environment Report found that pollution originating from the continent contributes up to 80% of all maritime pollution and is a major threat to the long-term health of near-shore marine systems.
Last Modified:
6/5/08
|
