Australia is right to say no to plastic bags: never mind the angry shoppers

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Debris and plastic litter float around Christmas Island in Australia. Each year, up to 5 trillion single-use bags are consumed worldwide and more than 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans, according to the UN’s environment agency. Photo: Handout via Reuters

Published: 8:03am, 6 Jul 2018Updated: 8:03am, 6 Jul 2018

I refer to your report on the abuse suffered by grocery chain staff in Australia, as the country moved to ban single-use plastic bags to reduce waste (“Supermarket staff suffer customer ‘bag rage’ as Australia imposes plastic ban”, July 2). Shoppers frustrated with the change reacted angrily, and one man even grabbed a store worker by the throat.

To placate shoppers and help them get through the transition, one national supermarket chain has decided to offer reusable bags for a few cents until July 8.

But irate customers must see the reason behind the ban, which is the fact that up to 5 trillion single-use bags are consumed worldwide each year, and more than 8 million tonnes of plastic end up in the world’s oceans each year, according to estimates by the UN’s environment agency, which has called for single-use bags to be eliminated completely by 2022.

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In China, there are similar bans, but the ban is only on thin plastic bags. China was using 3 billion bags a year before 2008, but after the ban was implemented, the use of thin bags decreased by 60-80 per cent in supermarkets, though they are still given out by shopkeepers and street vendors.

One Asian country battling major environmental pollution is Vietnam. A 2015 report said five Asian countries – China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Thailand – were responsible for up to 60 per cent of the plastic waste polluting the ocean.

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As a developing country, Vietnam’s rapid economic growth is generating an increasing amount of waste, including plastic waste. Vietnam has implemented a tax on plastic bags, but these are still widely used, so the government is considering a substantial increase in the levy.