Victoria pledges to go plastic bag free from November 1, 2019. The ban will eliminate nearly all single-use bags sweeping all Victorian retailers towards more sustainable options (!).
According to the report released June 19, the ban is said to take effect in ‘supermarkets, green grocers, bakeries, pharmacies, clothing stores, restaurants, cafes, markets, takeaway food outlets, and many more’. The National Retail Association promises to help businesses shift from single-use bags over the course of this year, as this will even effect local shops. So no worries local business owners.
Not only does the ban place limitations on the use of single-use bags, it serves as a hiatus on bags with any plastic in it. This means degradable, biodegradable, and compostable plastic bags will be on the outs in Victoria. So, do make sure to bring your reusable bag with you to Woolies. The 15 cent plastic bags won’t be around – and we’re so bloody glad about it.
The only kinds of single-use bags that will still be available to Victorians will be animal waste baggies, garbage bags and liners, and barrier bags for produce and meat.
In ACT, SA, QLD, and WA substantial plastic bag bans are already in play. So, Vic is just hopping on the bandwagon of going diminishing this unnecessary form of waste. However, VA has been working on placing a ban on plastic bags since 2017, so they’ve been striving for this for a while.
So like, good on you Vic for sticking to your guns on this ban.
While plastic bags are obvs not the only form of pollution fucking up our oceans, placing this ban is going to make a notable difference. Apparently Victorians use about 1 billion plastic bags a year. So like, they needed this.
And limiting plastic bags is already making a big difference in Australia. Coles and Woolworths kept 5,000 tonnes of plastic bags out of their stores over the course of this year. Fuck yeah!
Reusable bags are already found in nearly every supermarket, so this shouldn’t be a tough transition. Also, Aldi is dropping a seriously cheap reusable homeware deal this weekend. So, Victorians you don’t have to wait until November to be more eco-conscious. The reusable movement’s already happening.
Image Source: Giphy, Unsplash.
