Convenience Is A Lame Excuse. Ban The Bag.

We need to call on the Government to stop bagging Victoria. A ban on single use plastic bags is required because ‘appropriate’ disposal methods and recycling does not solve the environmental problem of plastic bags. Regulation does, and has been proven in other forward-thinking parts of the world.

South Australia, Tasmania, ACT and the Northern Territory all have state wide bans in place and there is movement in NSW to ban single use plastic bags. We have been very slow in Victoria and a ban on plastic bags has fallen off the agenda since it was pledged in 2008 that the state would take action. Across Victoria there have been some towns and markets who operate plastic bag free.

Plastic Bag Free Victoria

Besides, why shouldn’t we ban single use plastic bags when there are actually no benefits to using them? After all, you will start to remember to bring your own bags, so convenience is a lame excuse. By the way, so is “but I use them for bin liners”. There are many people out there proving that a bin liner is completely unnecessary if you follow the refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle and rot mantra. But if you still need one, here’s how to do it with newspaper.

I’ve written this post specifically to ask you to be part of the solution. Whether you are from Gippsland, other parts of Victoria, Australia or around the world. Do your bit:

• Refuse single use plastic bags
• Choose reusable bags
• Join your local ban the bag group
• Put pressure on Governments to ban the bag
• Spread the word.

If you are in Victoria download Plastic Bag Free Victoria’s petition. Sign it and share it with others so they can sign it too. Stay tuned for what will hopefully be a nation wide ban on the single use plastic bag.