Plastic Bags - COAG Standing Council on Environment and Water

litter, 84 which means that no individual that can be targeted with an infringement notice or similar
penalty. Therefore in relation to plastic bag litter, enforcement can be difficult as the litterer cannot
be identified.
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Litter abatement activities are complex and need to be considered in localised contexts as studies
have shown that littering behaviour varies greatly in different settings and a thorough
understanding of this is required for appropriate litter strategies to be developed. 85
The National <strong>Plastic</strong> Bag Working Group report to the National Packaging Covenant <strong>Council</strong> 86
identified potential litter abatement activities. This report noted that there was an opportunity to
improve upon current litter abatement activities and strategies. However general litter has not
been identified as an issue of national significance by the EPHC (other than through its work on
plastic bag and cigarette butt litter). Despite litter abatement strategies being in place in most
jurisdictions, plastic bag litter continues to be an issue within the community, along with other
littered items. In addition special initiatives for plastic bag litter abatement have not translated
into a significant reduction in the litter stream.
It can be inferred from the current levels of plastic bag litter, that current litter abatement efforts do
not sufficiently manage the plastic bag litter problem and given the high level of inadvertent
littering of plastic bags, enhanced enforcement is unlikely to be sufficient to adequately manage
plastic bag litter as it is not possible to identify and punish responsible individuals for inadvertent
litter to reduce impact on that source of plastic bag litter. However, a proposed regulatory option
that specifically targets cleaning-up plastic bag litter is discussed below under Option E.
Questions for consultation:
• Should plastic bags be addressed through general litter measures and should future focus
be on strengthening general litter abatement?
• How would the particular environmental hazards posed by plastic bags be addressed
through general litter abatement activities?
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6.6. What has been the objective of government action to date?
The objective of work by Australian governments through the EPHC has been to reduce the
impact of lightweight plastic carry bags on the environment. Until now, the EPHC has
endeavoured to do this primarily by reducing bag use through voluntary means although some
effort has been made to alter plastic bag littering behaviour. For example, governments have also
issued guidelines for better management of plastic bags at landfill sites. Environment ministers
have signalled that this objective should continue over the next few years.
Since the EPHC 2003 decision to commence phase-out negotiations with retailers, EPHC has
focused largely on supermarket chains. However individual jurisdictions have also been working
with other retailers to achieve change. For example, the Australian Government, working in
conjunction with Clean Up Australia and the ARA, launched a campaign aimed expressly at small
retailers, including a website, an information package and other tools. These efforts, have impacted
84 Nolan-ITU, 2002 p I
85 Nolan-ITU, 2002 p. 46
86 National Packaging Covenant <strong>Plastic</strong> Shopping <strong>Bags</strong> in Australia December 2002 National <strong>Plastic</strong> <strong>Bags</strong>
Working Group Report to the National Packaging Covenant <strong>Council</strong> p 11.
Consultation Regulatory Impact Statement: Investigation of options to reduce the environmental impact of plastic bags January 2007 41