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MEDIA RELEASES FOR THE CAMPAIGN
Campaign Backs South Australian ban on plastic bags
April 18 2008: Jon Dee and the National Plastic Bag Campaign strongly endorse the South Australian Government decision to ban single-use plastic bags from January 2009.
By taking this course of action, South Australia has taken a key leadership role in the push to reduce Australia’s annual use of 4 Billion plastic bags.
“Yesterday’s failure by Environment Ministers to reach a national consensus on plastic bags is a poor reflection on Australia’s environmental leadership,” said Jon Dee, the Organiser of The National Plastic Bag Campaign.
Dee also questioned the decision by Victoria to trial a plastic bag charge of 10 - 25 cents on the basis that Bunnings, IKEA and ALDI have already shown that a bag charge massively reduces their usage. Bunning's 10 cent charity charge on plastic bags has reduced their usage by 99% - a reduction of 200 million bags. IKEA’s charge was so positively received that it led them totally banning plastic bags.
The campaign is calling on Peter Garrett to take more decisive action.
“China uses more plastic bags every week than Australia uses in a year” said Dee. “If the Chinese can ban the giving away of free plastic bags by June, then there’s no reason why Australia cannot ban them by the end of this year.”
Since the campaign to ban plastic bags started in 2002, Australians have used an estimated 25 Billion plastic bags. These bags can take many years to break down in the environment and they cause significant problems for wildlife.
Plastic Bag Use Skyrockets - March 20, 2008
Jon Dee Plastic Bag Media Release – January 10, 2008
For interviews with Jon Dee, please call Melanie Hardwick on
+61 (0)2 9818 0905 from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday [AEST].
