Collie residents are being urged to start preparing themselves early with a ban on plastic bags to come into effect in six months’ time.
Environment minister Stephen Dawson announced in September last year that a ban on lightweight single-use plastic bags would come into effect on July 1. The ban won’t effect the sturdier plastic bags that some retailers use.
The ban will bring Western Australia into line with South Australia, Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, which all have plastic bag bans in place, while Queensland will also being introducing its own ban on July 1.
It is estimated that around five million plastic bags are littered in Western Australia each year, which has a devastating impact on the environment and wildlife.
Shire of Collie president Sarah Stanley said the upcoming ban presents a good opportunity for Collie residents to minimise their waste.
“The impending plastic bag ban is another step towards reducing our consumption of waste and highlights the small efforts we can all make on a personal level to reduce our collective consumption of waste,” she said.
"Once recyclable and organic material is removed from the waste stream, single-use plastics make up a significant proportion of household waste that is buried in landfill each year.
"Consumers can use the six-month lead up to the ban to gear up and get used to the small changes in habit required to avoid the need for single-use plastics.”
Environment minister Stephen Dawson said there had been widespread support for the ban.
“The government’s plastic bag ban is widely supported by the community and industry,” he said.
“This includes major retailers which are some of the biggest suppliers of plastic shopping bags.
“A recent survey showed 84 per cent of Western Australians supported a ban on lightweight, single-use plastic bags.
“Major supermarkets - Coles, Woolworths and IGA - intend to ban lightweight, single-use plastic bags while some retailers - including Bunnings and Aldi - already support the ban by not offering these bags to customers.”
A discussion paper has been prepared by the Department of Water and Environmental Regulation, seeking public feedback on the plastic bag ban and implementation options.
It is open for public comment until March 9. Public submissions can be made through an online survey or by written submission.