Plastic Bags - COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water

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Update on Degradable <strong>Plastic</strong> Standards The term degradable encompasses several types of the plastics, including biodegradable and oxodegradable resin. Degradable plastic bags may prove to be a viable substitute for HDPE plastic bags. However to do so, manufacturers must be able to demonstrate that their products are environmentally acceptable, with any claims and labeling backed up by sound science. Such products will need to meet the Australian Standards for degradable plastics currently being developed by Standards Australia. To date, Standards Australia has finalised a suite of standards to cover the breakdown of biodegradable plastic under commercial composting conditions: • AS 14852-2005 - <strong>Plastic</strong> materials - Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability in an aqueous medium - Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide • AS 14855-2005 - <strong>Plastic</strong> materials - Determination of the ultimate aerobic biodegradability and disintegration under controlled composting conditions - Method by analysis of evolved carbon dioxide • AS 4736-2006 - Biodegradable plastics - biodegradable plastics suitable for composting and other microbial treatment compostability These are available for purchase from Standards Australia http://www.standards.com.au/ Before the full suite of standards can be developed for a range of other end environments (soil or in water etc), significant information gaps need to be filled, particularly for materials based on prodegradant technologies. These include how quickly and under what environmental conditions they breakdown; the potential human and environmental toxicity of the prodegradant additives; the nature of any residues left behind after they have been degraded; and the impact they may have on bag recycling. It is important to note that the three standards mentioned above relate to degradability in commercial compost. <strong>Plastic</strong> bags, as shown in Figure 2 on page 27, find their way into a range of different environments where conditions are significantly different from the controlled conditions of a commercial operation. Standards development work has recently been undertaken in Europe and North America on plastic degradability in home composting, soil, fresh water, marine water and other materials incorporated within a degradable product. These standards will be examined by the Australian Standards Technical Committee for possible adaptation and adoption as Australian Standards. Complementary to the standards work, the <strong>Plastic</strong>s and Chemicals Industries Association, with support from the Australian Government, is developing a voluntary product stewardship Commitment and 5 10 The definition presented in this consultation RIS, focuses on the purpose for which the bag will be used rather than the weight, dimensions, style or chemical composition of the bag. A definition based on these physical attributes could enable plastic bag providers to avoid complying with any potential voluntary or regulatory action by using plastic bags that fall just outside the designated range. For example if a definition targeted plastic bags that weigh 6g and under, plastic bag providers could avoid compliance by using plastic bags that weigh 6.1g. A definition based on physical characteristics is more prone to ‘loop holes’, which could compromise any action to reduce plastic bag litter in a nationally consistent approach. Also on the matter of weight, research undertaken by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology shows that the thickness and weight of a plastic bag does not impact on the ease with which it may Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement: Investigation of options to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags January 2007 14
ecome litter if placed in a waste receptacle and dispersed by the wind 5 . Consequently it cannot be reasonably used as a basis for defining those plastic bags that should be subject to regulatory action that is aimed at reducing plastic bag litter. This is discussed further under section 3.3. 5 10 15 Exemptions would need to be defined in regulations if a legislative option were pursued. Possible exemptions could include plastic bags that are used for: • containing raw produce, including fruit, nuts and vegetables; or • packaged raw fish and raw fish products; or • packaged raw meat and raw meat products; or • packaged raw poultry and raw poultry products; or • ready to eat food whether hot or cold; or • frozen or refrigerated products, or any other product that may leak liquid or create condensation; or • household and garden chemicals. While bin liners or ‘bags on a roll’ are not included in the above list of exemptions neither type of bag is provided at point of sale to transport goods and neither type is considered to be a plastic bag. Both types of bag are therefore outside of the scope of the current policy discussions. 20 25 30 35 40 Questions for consultation • How would these exemptions impact on retailer processes? • Are all these exemptions necessary? • Are other exemptions necessary? • Should degradable plastic be exempt and if so, why? • Are there any other issues that need to be considered in defining plastic bags? 2.2. <strong>Plastic</strong> bags in Australia <strong>Plastic</strong> bags are popular with consumers and retailers because they provide a convenient, highly functional, lightweight, strong, cheap, and hygienic way to transport food and other products. <strong>Plastic</strong> bags are commonly provided directly at the point of purchase, with no transparent charge. The consumer does not have to remember to take other shopping bags with them. <strong>Plastic</strong> bags are time-efficient at the check-out compared with alternatives which lead to increases transaction times. 6 <strong>Plastic</strong> bags are also used for secondary purposes such as bin liners and barrier bags (for transporting wet swimmers, shoes etc). The widespread use of plastic bags has meant that they are ubiquitous in society and have the potential to be littered in numerous ways, therefore their impact as litter needs to be considered. In Australia, the predominant types of plastics used for plastic bags are high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The HDPE ‘singlet’ bag is usually (but not always) a non-branded bag, used mainly in supermarkets, take-away food and fresh-produce outlets, but also in smaller retail outlets such as service stations and newsagents. The LDPE boutique-style 5 Verghese, K. Study of factors contributing to dispersal of littered plastic shopping bags RMIT June 2006 6 Allen Consulting Group, Phasing Out Light-Weight <strong>Plastic</strong> <strong>Bags</strong>: Costs and Benefits of Alternative Approaches, May 2006 p viii Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement: Investigation of options to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags January 2007 15
Page 1 and 2: 5 10
Page 3 and 4: Contents 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 ACR
Page 5 and 6: Acronyms ACCC Australian Competitio
Page 7 and 8: Glossary advance disposal fee A fee
Page 9 and 10: net present value (NPV) This is a s
Page 11 and 12: 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Litter
Page 13 and 14: 5 10 analysed in Option G, is an op
Page 15: 5 10 15 20 25 2.1. Definition of
Page 19 and 20: 3. Statement of the problem 5 10 15
Page 21 and 22: Figure 1: Summary of plastic bag fl
Page 23 and 24: the lowest value on the availabilit
Page 25 and 26: 5 10 to have had a noticeable impac
Page 27 and 28: 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 totally prohibi
Page 29 and 30: negatively affected as a consequenc
Page 31 and 32: dollars worth of damage to boat eng
Page 33 and 34: 5 3.7.2 Material recovery facilitie
Page 35 and 36: 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 • sector-w
Page 37 and 38: 6. Current Measures in Place 5 10 1
Page 39 and 40: currently exempt from action. Impor
Page 41 and 42: formally being signatory to the ARA
Page 43 and 44: litter, 84 which means that no indi
Page 45 and 46: 7. Statement of Proposed Alternativ
Page 47 and 48: 5 10 • Option M: elimination of p
Page 49 and 50: activities and strategies each year
Page 51 and 52: 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 or socio-econom
Page 53 and 54: 5 10 Questions for consultation •
Page 55 and 56: • one-off costs to all retailers
Page 57 and 58: • governments do not implement re
Page 59 and 60: Industry • one-off cost of $100 m
Page 61 and 62: 5 If expansion of activity by small
Page 63 and 64: Economic Impacts: 5 10 15 • Over
Page 65 and 66: etailers, or contribute to a rebate
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The ACG analysis found that the ben
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A number of the benefits of impleme
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This option would be similar to the
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Government • ongoing costs of 0.1
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Option L: assumptions For the purpo
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5 Other key findings Environmental
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5 10 15 20 Biodegradable bags The a
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5 10 15 Findings Costs and benefits
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• otherwise, similar commitments
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8. Consultation The principal form
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5 • Indigenous communities • fa
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5 10 If the value of the social ben
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5 Questions for consultation • Sh
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5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 EPA Victoria
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Plastic Bags - COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water

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