Editorial: The plastic bag 'no no' banned

Shoppers with their badly bagged booty from back in the day - prior to July 1 this year. Photo / File

EDITORIAL

The takeways owner who found himself at the centre of attention when he defied a ban of plastic bags by simply cutting off the handles managed to make himself a villain and hero in one snip.

With the right lawyer, he may have even got away with it, as the official advice was: "The ban applies to all new single-use plastic shopping bags with handles that are made of plastic up to 70 microns in thickness."

The ban is a 'symbolic' gesture and only a drop in the bucket for reduced pollution. That lends itself to suspicions we're being strong-armed into something a little ridiculous.

However, common sense - and quite likely the veiled threat of the Ministry for the Environment "looking into it" and a six-figure fine - prevailed and the takeaways owner ditched his clipped plastic carriers for paper bags.

There are a couple of problems with the attempt to reduce the amount of shopping bags going into the environment, laudable though it is. One, is the vague definition of which bags are "no" and which are "go".

People can still buy lightweight barrier bags, such as the ones from the deli or butchery, along with bin liners, pet waste bags and nappy bags. Also exempt are bread bags and pouches for cooked chicken, for hygiene reasons. Why is sliced bread exempt but not a nan from the local tandoor?

The other issue is that the ban is, admittedly, a "symbolic" gesture and only a drop in the bucket for reduced pollution. That lends itself to suspicions we're being strong-armed into something which is just a little ridiculous.

Ultimately, small gestures can make a difference. Perhaps that's what also resonated so much with the cutaway rogue foodie.