The Plastic Bag Challenge

To prove that it can be done to myself and to others I embarked on a journey of monitoring and curbing my plastic bag usage. The Federal Government department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts have set up a plastic bag challenge and I used this as a framework for the project. (http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/waste/plastic-bags/challenge.html)
Step one: Count your bags!
Using the Bag Yourself a Better Environment Household Plastic Bag Survey (I was able to keep tabs on bags received, reused, used (i.e. as bin liners of pet tidy bags) and recycled. Having the entire household communicate and cooperate in this counting for a week was more of a challenge than I had anticipated but in the end everyone recognised the importance of the task at hand. The results were a little shocking. It was apparent that each resident of the house thought his/her plastic bag usage was minimal but when combined the numbers climbed. The tally went like this: bags received= 15, bags reused=0, bags used=5, recycled=0. Our reckless use was obvious! http://www.environment.gov.au/settlements/publications/waste/plastic-bags/survey.html)
Step two: Reduce your use and recycle your plastic bags.
With dictator-like efficiency I implemented a complete ban on plastic bags from supermarkets, produce suppliers and butchers for one week and to ease the pain of this transition I purchased three organic calico bags for each member of the house including myself. Remarkably there was a positive, enthusiastic reaction to this new regime. The new calico bags were kept in the car for accessibility and were regularly used. At the end of the week only two new plastic bags had reached the house, one from a chemist and the other from a calico-less trip to the market. All in all a good result! Another visible benefit of the project was the depletion of the already overflowing bag drawer. The mere fact that the inflow of bags had been vastly reduced meant that the outflow was more resourceful.
Step three: Remember…
This turned out to be the most challenging step. Initial enthusiasm waned and I noticed plastic slowly creeping back into our routine in the weeks after the ban. We had talked about the importance of maintaining our new custom but the ease and acceptability of plastic bag use snuck back in. This highlights that the challenge does not lie in creating awareness of the overuse of plastic but in changing usage behaviours. Supermarket and Government action are vital in breaking the consumer behaviour patterns that dictate how and when we use plastic bags.

Write a letter to NSW Member for Parliament

Tell the NSW Labor Government and the state opposition that you want to put a stop to the environmental damage being caused by plastic bags. Here is a sample letter to the Hon. John Robertson MLC, Minister for Climate Change and the Environment.
Feel free to send the following letter on to him, to the NSW Premier, the Hon. Nathan Rees or to your state member (visit <http://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/prod/parlment/members.nsf/V3ListCurrentLAMembers?open&vwCurr=CurrLAByElectorate> for contact details for all NSW Members for Parliament).

Now in PDF format so you can save it to your computer and send it off easily!
http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=02554441235283717250

Mission Statement

We are an environmentally conscious, non-profit group advocating the introduction of a plastic bag levy in NSW supermarkets. Our aim is to reduce plastic bag usage by 90% in NSW within five years and thus promote a cleaner and healthier environment with more environmentally aware citizens.

While positive action is eventually in the hands of the individual, there is overwhelming evidence that without government initiative little will be done. The Ninety-Percent Group recognise and applaud those groups within Australia, particularly in NSW that are informing and educating people about the dangers of and alternatives to plastic bags. Projects such as Clean Up Australia’s Say No To Plastic Bags (http://www.cleanup.org.au/au/Campaigns/overview.html) work towards changing consumer behaviour but we believe more MUST be done. The NSW government must be held accountable for the responsibility they have to the community both present and future as well as the vast amount of wildlife that is affected by this plague of plastic.

The impact that plastic bags have on the environment is staggering. The non-biodegradable plastic bags such as those provided by most supermarkets can last in the environment for up to 1000 years. Once they are there they cause irrevocable damage to marine life, killing an estimated 1 million sear birds, 100,000 sea mammals and countless fish each year. Turtles, dolphins and killer whales choke or starve by confusing bags with jellyfish. And disastrously when the animal dies and decays the plastic lives, free to repeat the same cycle.

South Australia has already successfully implemented a ban on plastic bags, why can’t we?

By campaigning NSW State Government officials and local MP’s we aim to increase government consciousness on the issue as well as rally the support of concerned citizens.

Now is the time NSW!