Shoppers rejoice over banning bags
The Government’s plan to ban single-use plastic bags over the next year has come as happy news for Hamilton shoppers. For Hamilton pensioner Willie Prentice, the ban can’t come soon enough. The first time Prentice first saw a wild turtle while fishing, it had a supermarket bag crammed into its mouth. He removed it with a pair of tongs and the turtle went free, but his disgust hasn’t wavered since. Prentice has been using reusables and a canvas bag with wheels for the last four or five years. He only uses plastic bags for rubbish and tosses food scraps in a pot to be fed to a friend’s pigs. Retailers – such as Countdown, New World and most recently Mitre 10 and Z Energy – have already announced plans to phase out the bags. At noon yesterday, those carrying single-use bags from supermarkets slipped away to their cars a little sheepishly. But Peter Earl proudly ferried a trolley full of canvas shopping bags to his car. He was delighted that others would soon be doing the same. ‘‘Plastic bags are a nuisance,’’ Earl said. ‘‘They just won’t rot away,’’ Countdown Hamilton store manager Tony Chegwidden said the plan to ban single-use bags comes as good news and Countdown is proud to be a part of it. The store is offering reusable plastic bags for 15 cents or ‘‘bags for life’’ for $1. If the $1 bag rips or something spills into it, customers can take it to any Countdown store and have it replaced for free. ‘‘That’s $5 they never have to spend again,’’ Chegwidden said. Countdown will stop using the single-use shopping bags on September 6 and aims to phase out other bags – such as those used for fresh produce – by the end of the year. It was all part of changing the culture around the use of single-use plastic, New Zealand, Chegwidden said. ‘‘The world won’t last long if we keep doing it.’’ Hamilton mum Tara Flower said while the decision comes as good news, it will be a tricky transition. Flower uses the single-use bags for her shopping, rubbish bins and to pick up dog poo. She hopes the Government will issue a list of tips and alternatives for those unsure about what to use instead.