Western Australia could become the third Australian region to ban the plastic bag if the State Opposition has their way. The WA Labor Party is set to introduce a Private Members Bill to Parliament next month that could see plastic bags banished from the state, following in the footsteps of South Australia and the Northern Territory. “Western Australians use about 400 million plastic shopping bags each year,” Opposition Environment spokeswoman Sally Talbot said, according to AAP. “Only... ...Read more »

The Northern Territory Government is taking the lead from South Australia, announcing a decision to phase out single-use shopping bags as part of their climate change policy. They are also moving toward the introduction of a container deposit scheme - like that seen in SA - and ahead of any final decision on a nationwide deposit container scheme. “We’ll be introducing legislation in 2010 to ban plastic bags in the Territory,” NT Chief Minister, Paul Henderson, said - according to... ...Read more »

Six months into South Australia’s ban on plastic bags, the state government has labelled it a remarkable success. An estimated 200 million checkout style bags have so far been stopped from entering our landfill and shoppers have been quick to embrace the changes for the sake of the environment, they advised. Premier Mike Rann and Environment Minister Jay Weatherill yesterday released results of research that has tracked shoppers before and after the ban taking effect on May 4 this year. “Remembering... ...Read more »

The plastic bag ban in South Australia is set to come into effect next Monday, with supermarket staff set to wear badges asking for customer understanding. Premier Mike Rann is excited about the positive impact the decision should have on the environment. “South Australians are leading the nation by saying no to plastic bags,” he said. “We did it back in 1977 with our hugely successful drink container deposit which has dramatically cut litter and landfill. Now we’re going... ...Read more »