Whangārei retailers say plastic bags have been on notice for a while

Mike An says customers prefer to bring their own bags or pack their purchases in the shop's unwanted cartons.

There could be confusion for a while about what constitutes a single-use plastic bag even though there was plenty of warning before Monday's first day of a ban on them.

A mixed message is being sent from Ministry for the Environment which is calling on people to dob in storekeepers who give out single-use bags and says it will carry out stings — or, in more official-speak, random mystery shopper audits.

But the Environment Ministry is also saying it will roll out the new regime on a warning-based system before penalties are imposed.

The ban applies to all plastic bags with handles, including the stronger, thicker ones with shop logos on, and any that are described as ''biodegradable''.

Some people spoken to by the Advocate said those were the kind of bags they preferred to have and re-use. They were surprised the ban does not include the flimsier plastic bags on rolls in supermarket fruit and vegetable departments and at greengrocers.

''They're only good for picking up dog poo, anything heavier and they tear,'' said Hamilton resident Anne Wilson, in Whangārei on holiday.

She had read those bags were still allowed for food hygiene reasons, but said she would soon be heading into a supermarket with two cloth bags that ''were probably getting a bit dirty now and growing bugs in the bottom''.

The ban applies to new plastic bags less than 70 microns in thickness and includes those made of bio-based materials like starch or plastics which are described are degradable, biodegradable or oxo-degradable.

Two Whangārei retailers said they were well schooled up about the new rules. Goods would not be passed over their counters in plastic bags unless customers brought in their own to use.

A fine of up to $100,000 under the Waste Minimisation Act is incentive for King's Mart Asian foods grocer Mike An not to breach the law. But many customers at his John St store preferred to use the shop's stack of cardboard cartons anyway, he said.

Others had been bringing in their own bags for a long time because the supermarkets had been leading the way since last year, he said.

''We worry more that customers who forget or don't have a bag with them might not buy so much if they cannot carry it easily,'' An said.

Seo Young at Save Land sees paper bags making a comeback.

Across the road at Save Land, shop worker Seo Young said she didn't expect the new rules to make any difference. The shop would use paper bags instead.

The national phase-out started sometime ago, with supermarkets and other shops no longer offering single use bags at check-out. Countdown said it had removed 1889 tonnes of plastic from circulation in New Zealand since May last year - equivalent to eight fully loaded jumbo jets.