Bags Not: The plastic bag campaign which helped get NZ recycling

Thursday, 22 February 2018

How long does it take for a plastic bag to break down - and what harm can it do?

Shopping in the supermarket the other week, something new caught my eye between the Royal Galas and the overpriced avos.

Reusable produce bags: Pack of three.

Sure, the roll of flimsy plastic sacs was still there too, but it was a sign of how much times are changing. And this was exactly why Stuff called on you to say Bags Not.

When we launched our campaign against single-use plastic bags, you told us loud and clear: NZ wants them gone.

**READ MORE:

* Bags Not: Full coverage

We asked you to think twice about how many plastic bags you use in our Bags Not campaign - and you told us you wanted to see change.

* How to recycle your Stuff newspaper bag

* 4 plastic bag boo-hoos rubbished

Reusable produce bags are on a supermarket shelf near you - but they are just the start.

* Why we ditched paper for plastic**

Now, three months later, the wheels of change are turning.

Recycling of soft plastics - including such bags - has shot up around the country, with some areas seeing volumes double, while the government has admitted that single-use plastic bags 'need to be phased out'.

Thumbs up, New Zealand.

Our week-long campaign asking you to refuse single-use plastic bags at the checkout, and start to curb our 1.29 billion plastic bag problem ran at the end of November.

We explored the real impact of plastic in our world, and what we can all do to mitigate it. We also put pressure on our freshly-minted coalition Government to lead the change, and stop relying on our shops switching to reusable bags of their own accord.

Immediately after our campaign, the task of drafting legislation on plastic bags was officially delegated to Association Environment Minister Eugenie Sage. Sage is now actively looking at options for the phase out of single-use plastic bags.

'Plastic bags, which are used once and thrown away, need to be phased out,' she told us.

We'll continue to press for change - and we'll continue to take action too, by supporting New Zealand's Soft Plastic Recycling Scheme.

As part of our Bags Not initiative, Stuff became a sponsor of this nationwide programme to give our subscribers improved access to recycling.

In December, for the first time, the scheme collected 11 tonnes of soft plastic per week - up from 8 tonnes in September. That's continued into January.

Many collection points have seen recycling rates grow quickly in the past few months. New World Thorndon, for example, has seen volumes double.

It's also rolled out more collection points and the scheme now reaches 74 per cent of Kiwis - but we're hoping to have it available across most of the country within the next two years. Here's which recycling services are available in your area .

The best bit, though, was seeing how many of you got on board with the crusade against the single-use carrier.

Some 37,000 of you (and counting) took part in our polls, and of those 75 per cent said you supported a ban or levy on plastic bags.

You also had your say via more than 2000 comments, and also you told us your stories of going plastic bag-free via our reader assignment - from turning single-use bags into sturdy totes to ditching the bin liner.

Our campaign might have come to an end, but it remains down to us all to make sure that New Zealand's future isn't choked up with unnecessary plastic. Let's keep it going, eh?