Appendix+4.1

Plastic bags are everywhere, and while they are convenient, they cause significant environmental damage all over the world. Every year Australians consume more than 4 billion supermarket plastic bags. Of these, just 3 per cent are recycled and the rest end up in our environment or in landfill. Most plastic bags are made out HDPE (high density polyethylene) which are the thinner bags used by over 80% of retailers, but predominately in supermarkets. These bags are easily recycled, yet rarely are. Plastic bags may also be made out of LDPE bags (low density polyethylene) and are the much thicker bags used by boutiques and department stores. These bags are recyclable, although there are few collection points. A plastic bag on the beach, in a tree or blowing down the street is a very unattractive, yet common sight. Moreover, because plastic bags don’t go away, they just break up into smaller and smaller pieces of plastic, the number of plastic bags in the environment continues to accumulate, with 80 million littered per year. Plastic bags are lightweight and moisture resistant, which means that they float easily in air and water, often travelling long distances. Every year over 6 million tonnes of rubbish is dumped into the world’s oceans, 80% of which is plastic, and a further 10% of this being plastic bags. With an estimated 46,000 pieces for every square mile of ocean, plastic is responsible for killing 1 million sea birds and over 100,000 sea mammals each year. Turtles, whales and sea birds mistake rubbish for food or get entangled in it, resulting in painful injuries, or even death. Australians dispose of an estimated 4 billion plastic bags, or 20,700 tonnes of plastic, that can be recycled. Even plastic bags that are reused as bin bags end up in municipal waste streams and will never be recycled, filling our already limited landfill space. It is estimated that it costs governments, businesses and community groups over $4 million per annum to clean up littered plastic shopping bags.
 * Say NO to Plastic Bags **