Clean environment in the bag

Mayors back efforts to charge shoppers.

Kiwi consumers are helping save the environment with their wallets as more ditch plastic bags while shopping — and more are likely if our mayors succeed in introducing a Government-backed surcharge.

The number of single-use plastic bags issued at The Warehouse stores has dropped by two-thirds since it started charging 10c for them in April 2009.

The Warehouse Group’s environmental initiatives manager Greg Nelson said the reduction was “sharp and sustained”.

In the 12 months to February 2017 The Warehouse, which has more than 90 stores around the country, ordered about 12.7 million plastic bags, compared with 14.1 million the previous year.

The proceeds from the sale of plastic bags are donated to charities, schools, kindies, Plunket and community groups.

Sixty-five mayors and council chairpeople recently signed a letter calling on the Government to introduce a levy on plastic bags or give councils the power to.

Every year Kiwis throw away 1.6 billion plastic bags, according to the Ministry for the Environment.

Many end up in our waterways and can be deadly to marine life.

Sustainable Coastlines volunteers and staff have picked up 140,000 plastic bags from New Zealand beaches and coasts since the charity began, founder Sam Judd said, and 75 per cent of the rubbish they collect is single-use plastic.

Retailers in Titirangi, West Auckland, are on board with a campaign to become New Zealand’s first plasticfree suburb, encouraging shoppers to opt for reusable bags.

Michele Powles, of community action group Love Titirangi, said since the initiative launched on July 2 about 1500 fabric bags had been provided to local stores for customers to use and return.

“The supermarket is the place where the biggest volume of plastic bags go through and they are reporting a huge drop in the number — so much that we can’t keep up with demand for the reusable bags.”

In the UK consumption of singleuse plastic bags plummeted more than 85 per cent after the introduction of a 5p charge per bag in 2015.

Despite pressure from local body leaders, central government has ruled out following the UK’s lead with Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith instead throwing his support behind a soft-plastics recycling project.