Kiwis want a ban on the bag, and legislation is looking increasingly likely

Tuesday, 5 December 2017

Which countries have cut their plastic bag usage?

Kiwis have spoken - and they want a ban on the plastic bag.

But it remains to be seen if the coalition government are able to agree on action.

A week since Stuff launched Bags Not, our campaign to get you thinking about your plastic bag use, thousands of you have voted in three separate polls to have your voices heard on the issue.

Of 34,000 voters as of Tuesday morning, more than half wanted to see an outright ban on single-use shopping bags, while a fifth wanted to see a compulsory levy slapped on every bag given out.

Ten per cent said bans and surcharges should be the responsibility of retailers, and just 16 per cent wanted bags to remain free.

The really good news? The Government seems to be finally sitting up and paying attention to what you have to say.

Environment Minister David Parker said he was confident the government would be able to find a plastic bag policy which pleased all coalition partners.

The job of tackling plastic bag use and writing up legislation will be delegated to Association Environment Minister Eugenie Sage in the coming days.

'Labour and the Greens had similar election policies on the use of plastic bags, favouring the UK model. This model is also favoured by Auckland Mayor Phil Goff who has publicly championed moving away from single-use plastic bags,' said Environment Minister David Parker - though he added it was too early to say what a solution might look like for New Zealand.

'New Zealand First has previously stated they have concerns about the impact a statutory levy might have on the price of food, but have also stated publicly they would back phasing out plastic bags in favour of biodegradable alternatives.'

Parker said the coalition partners stances were not dissimilar, and he was confident Sage would be able to formulate a policy everyone could live with.

Kiwis don't just talk the talk, it seems a lot are also walking the walk as well.

A second poll of over 6000 Kiwis found almost half said they only used bags when they were stuck without a reusable option.

A quarter reported trying to cut down, and a dedicated 15 per cent only used reusable options.

Only 14 per cent said they used plastic bags consistently without worrying about it.

When faced with the prospect of a levy, Kiwis weren't shy about digging into their pockets either.

In a third survey, which attracted 4000 votes, only 17 per cent believed plastic bags should remain free.

A little over 2000 voters wanted a ban, and the remainder voted to pay anywhere from five per cent up to 50c or more.