Editorial: Pressure needed to prompt retailer re-think on plastic bags

Mark Dawson, Wanganui Chronicle editor

I know I have banged on about this before, but plastic bags ... really?

Come on, Whanganui - there are plenty of solid re-useable shopping bags that will serve many months, even years, of grocery trips.

Stick a couple in the car and do your bit to reduce plastic pollution.

Those plastic bags may be very convenient, but they are highly inconvenient for the environment.

On Saturday morning the Plastic Bag Free Whanganui group made a striking demonstration of just how much non-biodegrable rubbish we are consuming with their 2000-bag chain (approximately one hour's worth of shopping at the town's four big supermarkets) strung along the riverside.

It was an art "happening" and a protest rolled into one - a slice of al fresco education and a wake-up call which got people talking about the issue.

The group is petitioning the district council to ban single-use bags and this is something any number of councils are likely to be wrestling with.

To that end, we probably need intervention from the Environment Minister - and why shouldn't New Zealand, with its "clean and green" mantra lead the way.

It is retail outlets - supermarkets and most other stores - that produce the bags and they have shown they are susceptible to public pressure, especially when shoppers vote with their dollars.

In other countries, some stores are ditching the plastic and offering re-useable bags for a small price which, when worn out, shoppers can trade in for a free replacement. That's the sort of community commitment that breeds customer loyalty.

Meanwhile, Plastic Bag Free Whanganui are working on giving away cloth shopping bags, so grab one if you get the chance.

Perhaps one day carrying your groceries in a disposable plastic bag will attract the same social stigma as smoking in public.