Plastic Bags -

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Plastic Bags -

• an awful load of rubbish.

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Whats the problem?
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• Australians use more than 10 million new plastic
  shopping bags every day.
• That equates to 3.92 billion plastic bags each
  year.
• Each year, the average household is responsible
  for using 502 bags(1).

If these 3.92 billion plastic bags were tied
together, they would circle the globe 24 times!
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• Australians dump 7,150 recyclable plastic bags
  into landfills every minute

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Clean Up Australia Day - statistics

• Each year, Clean Up Australia Day identifies
  plastic as the major source of rubbish throughout
  Australia.
• We collect almost half a million plastic bags
  each year.
• Some one-third of all items collected are
  plastic, with almost one in 10 of these being
  plastic bags.
• Did you know Australians are the second-highest
  producers of waste per person, after the US?

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Whats in a bag?

• There are 2 types of plastic bags
• 1. High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) bags thin
  bags used by more than 80 of retailers. These
  can be easily recycled.
• 2. Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) the thicker
  bags often used in department and boutique
  stores. While these bags can be recycled, there
  are few collection points for recycling.
• Be wary of biodegradable and degradable
  plastic bags
• Standards have only recently been developed for
  biodegradable bags ask your retailer to show
  that the bags have passed relevant international
  standards.
• Degradable bags just break into smaller pieces
  and can be even more damaging to flora and fauna.

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The effect on the environment
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• There are about 46,000 pieces of plastic floating
  in each square mile of our oceans.
• It is estimated that plastic kills up to 1
  million sea birds, 100,000 sea mammals and
  countless fish each year.(2).
• On one remote atoll - Midway Island - some 9 in
  10 Albatross chicks had plastic bag remnants in
  their gullets - and turtles, dolphins and killer
  whales can choke or starve by confusing plastic
  bags for jellyfish.

On one remote atoll - Midway Island - some 9 in
10 Albatross chicks had plastic bag remnants in
their gullets - and turtles, dolphins and killer
whales can choke or starve by confusing plastic
bags for jellyfish.
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• ... Not to mention other environmental effects
• When oil, gas and coal are used to produce
  plastic bags, they emit dangerous greenhouse
  gasses. The burning of gasses also creates
  emissions of toxic gasses, dioxins and heavy
  metals.
• Bags escape and float easily in air and water,
  travelling long distances.
• When animals which have ingested bags die and
  decay, the plastic is free again to repeat the
  deadly cycle.
• Plastic bags last up to 1000 years and
  accumulate at a staggering rate!

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What can YOU do?
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What you can do consumers

• Plastic bags can be returned to supermarkets for
  recycling.
• Most larger supermarkets recycle bags. If its
  difficult to find the recycling bin, suggest that
  it be put in a more visible place.
• Green (polypropylene) bags can be recycled at
  local councils or Coles and Bi-Lo stores.
• OR you can also contact your local council to see
  if they collect or have drop-off points for
  recycling.
• Councils, schools and community groups can sign
  up as Ambassadors to run bag swaps, design
  reusable bags and get local shops on board.
• For free advice and promotional materials, sign
  up at
• http//www.cleanup.org.au/PDF/au/s-form.pdf or
  go to
• http//www.noplasticbags.org.au/home/default.asp
  x

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What you can do consumers cont.

• TIP Avoid using plastic bags as bin liners.
  Simply put your rubbish straight into your
  household bin and give the bin a quick rinse
  afterwards, then reuse the water on your garden.
• OR Three layers of broadsheet newspaper as a
  bin liner can also work well.
• TIP Before recycling, turn bags inside out and
  remove any receipts and food scraps -
  contamination can cause problems in production
  and prevent recycled plastic from being used.

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What you can do retailers

• Buy or produce your own reusable bags using our
  Bag Selector. Materials include paper, calico,
  polypropylene (green bags), starch-based
  biodegradable and hemp.
• These bags can be sold at a profit for only a
  few dollars each.
• Our preferred supplier is Adsun Ph (07) 3399
  7933 www.adsun.com.au
• or for other suppliers
• http//www.noplasticbags.org.au/alternatives/supp
  lierDirectory.aspx

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What you can do retailers

• Grab our Retailers Kit - 45 for a wealth of
  info
• Clean Up Australia has put together this
  comprehensive Kit for organisations of any size
  with tips on how to refuse, reduce, reuse and
  recycle, with staff training materials and
  in-store promotional items to generate action.
  Download an order form at
• http//cleanup.org.au/PDF/au/s-kit.pdf

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• For more information www.cleanup.org.au
• www.cleanuptheworld.org