ARE YOU READY?
Introduction from Jon Dee and Ron Clarke
Welcome to the website for the National Plastic Bag Campaign.
The South Australian government has announced it plans to ban single-use polyetheylene plastic bags from 4 May 2009.
Other states in Australia are working towards a phase-out or reduction in plastic bag use.
This move to ban plastic check-out bags presents a simple question for retailers and communities. Are You Ready?
Whether you’re a retailer, a community or an individual, this website will help you prepare for your own phase-out or ban. The site is designed to inspire and inform you about the actions that you can take today. It also provides practical assistance for sourcing items like paper bags and reusable bags.
Since we began this campaign over five years ago, Australians have bought millions of reusable bags. In the process, we have cut our check-out bag usage by billions of bags. Consumers have shown their support for eradicating plastic bags. The good news is that many retailers are on-side too.
Retailers like Nando’s have already banned plastic bags and have totally moved to paper bags. Others like Bunnings are going plastic bag free by charging for the plastic bags. IKEA has already banned its use in-store following a successful charge. Some towns such as Coles Bay have had all their retailers go plastic bag free – soon many more communities will be doing the same.
As more retailers take action to eradicate the use of single-use polyetheylene plastic bags, this web site will be updated so that you can access the latest retail role models, information and news, as well as suppliers of paper and reusable bags.
The time to get ready is now. The ‘Are You Ready?’ campaign looks forward to helping you with your phase-out of plastic bags. Together we can make a major difference for marine life and the environment.
Best regards,
- Jon Dee
- Founder, Planet Ark
- Ron Clarke (CM, ASM, MBE, A.A.S.A., A.C.I.S.)
- Mayor, Gold Coast
Founders of ‘The National Plastic Bag Campaign’
