Hot eatery’s plastic bag solution
An Indian restaurant in Auckland has cut off the handles from its takeaway bags as a way to get around the ban on single-use plastic bags.
The ban came into effect on Monday, but plastic bags without handles and those that have already been used are exempt.
Rafi Mohammed, who owns popular Sandringham Rd biryani restaurant Paradise, said the handles tweak was a “temporary measure” to clear about a pallet of plastic bags the restaurant still has.
“Just to be clear, we are not doing this because we don’t support the ban,” Mohammed said. “This is just to clear our remaining stock while waiting for our new environmentally friendly plastic bags to arrive.”
Mohammed said he embraced the plastic bag ban but still needed to clear his old stock. “We support the plastic bag ban, it is good for the environment and our future.”
Paradise takeaway opened in April 2016 and is just a few doors away from the restaurant’s dine-in.
Mohammed said he expected the
remaining bags to be cleared within three weeks before they are replaced with paper bags and reusable plastic carriers similar to the ones sold at supermarkets.
The Herald yesterday bought a lamb biryani from Paradise, provided in a plastic bag without handles.
A staff member said they had been told to cut the handles from the bags “because of the new rules”.
A customer, who did not want to be named, said he was happy the eatery was still using plastic bags.
“Paper bags are good for the environment, but not very practical when you are buying curries.
“If, by cutting the handles from the bags, Paradise is not breaking the law, then good on them.”
Under the new law, retailers that sell or distribute new, handled, single-use plastic bags could face a fine of up to $100,000.
A Ministry for the Environment spokesman said cutting handles off banned single-use plastic bags “goes against the intent of the ban”.
“We will follow-up any reports of this happening,” he said.
“It is in the interests of everyone, and the environment, that the rules are fair and people follow them.”
The ministry has had 13 reports of non-compliance since the ban came into effect. People are being urged to report to the ministry if they see the use of what they believe to be banned plastic bags.