KEY POINTS:
Drains blocked by plastic bags in Delhi provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and add to the problem of flooding during the monsoon.
Now a law has been passed there which could mean customers, shopkeepers, hoteliers and hospital staff face a 100,000 rupee fine ($3880) and possible jail time for using non-biodegradable bags.
While an outright ban is not on the cards in New Zealand, a Make a Difference campaign to reduce by a fifth the use of plastic bags is on target to reach its goal by July.
Packaging Accord 2004 - a packaging recycling plan to be completed by 2009 - is on track to hit a 20 per cent plastic bag reduction with 144 million fewer bags used each year.
So far, 100 million bags have been taken out of circulation, most (86 million) in the past two years as the campaign to involve shoppers has gained momentum.
Foodstuffs New Zealand, Progressive Enterprises, Woolworths and The Warehouse were among those to sign the Packaging Accord in 2004.
Other retailers, such as Mitre 10 and Caltex, have joined the campaign. Others, including Bunnings and Borders, have their own bag reduction scheme.
The Retailers Association opposes a ban or mandatory tax on plastic bags and rejects calls for New Zealand to follow the South Australian Government, which introduced a Plastic Shopping Bags (Waste Avoidance) Act on January 1.
"Because the New Zealand industry is on track to achieve voluntary targets set in the Packaging Accord of 20 per cent by the year 2009, there is no need for a ban or a tax on plastic bags in New Zealand," said association spokesman Barry Hellberg.
"The latest market research from ACNielsen shows three out of four Kiwis support the voluntary approach currently being pursued by the supermarkets and The Warehouse under the Make A Difference campaign, so an outright ban on plastic bags would be unnecessary," Mr Hellberg said.
The campaign was built using research conducted by ACNielsen with 1000 shoppers in 2007, and has been repeated to track progress.
While three out of four people say they do not support a ban, they want to be encouraged by retailers not to take bags.
And while people think the supermarkets are doing their bit, they want other retailers to do more.
"The Retailers Association would argue that the success of that campaign to date, coupled with the results of the latest market research, would obviate the need for any ban on plastic bags in New Zealand," Mr Hellberg said.
"Also it seems to be a bit of a nonsense when you consider that plastic bags only comprise 0.2 per cent of the waste stream. There are far more environmental issues facing New Zealand than plastic bags.
"The situation in Delhi is rather Draconian, but what happens in other countries is their business.
"The problem I think in regard to bags in a place like New Zealand is that if the Government decided to ban them or tax them, people would have to pay more for their heavier gauge plastic bin liners. And to me that is just an extra compliance for consumers that's unnecessary.
"If people don't want to take plastic bags, all they've got to say is they don't want to take them ," Mr Hellberg said.
Each store has its own policy on whether to sell or give away plastic bags.
"When a customer purchases a product at The Warehouse, we ask them if they want a bag first. A lot of people prefer not to have a bag. At the moment, it's completely up to the customer," a Warehouse executive said.
The latest research conducted by ACNielsen into customer attitudes and behaviour found shoppers were taking on average 5.8 bags, down from 6.5 a year earlier.
A ban on plastic bags was not the answer, agreed association chief executive John Albertson.
"What we need is a holistic approach to tackling litter which is based on encouraging people to take personal responsibility for their waste and encourage recycling.
"There is a huge demand in New Zealand for plastic bags which are being used to make cable reels and other products.
"The results from the research show that New Zealanders are keen to do the right thing but don't want to be taxed for it."
Delhi was not first to ban plastic bags - Bangladesh brought in a ban in 2002 for the same reason, to counter increasing fears they were blocking drains during the monsoon.
Australia, Taiwan, Rwanda and Singapore have since banned, discouraged or promoted re-use of plastic bags. Towns and cities in India, the United States and the United Kingdom have followed.
Taxing plastic bags has been tried out in both Denmark and Ireland.
UK supermarkets were told in 2007 that they had a year to reduce the number of plastic bags handed out, or face legislation.
'Eco bags' finding a place
Research conducted at the end of 2008 to monitor the success of the Make a Difference plastic bag campaign showed:
* 62 per cent of customers said they had reduced the number of bags they use.
* 76 per cent said supermarkets were doing more than any other retailer to reduce use of bags.
* 57 per cent said they had"just enough" or"not enough" plastic bags to meet their reuse needs (which may be why there has been a 15.4 per cent growth in unit sales of kitchen refuse bags).
* 48 per cent occasionally or always use"eco bags".
Source: New Zealand Retailers Association.
- NZPA
