NZ rules on plastic bags not as strict as New Delhi

In India, carrying a polythene shopping bag can land you in jail. While some countries are getting tough on rubbish, what is New Zealand doing about the plastic bag problem?

Drains blocked by plastic bags in Delhi provide a breeding ground for mosquitoes and add to the problem of flooding during the monsoon.

Now a law has been passed there which could mean customers, shopkeepers, hoteliers and hospital staff face a 100,000 rupee fine ($3800) and possible jail time for using non-biodegradable bags.

While an outright ban is not on the cards in New Zealand, a Make a Difference campaign to reduce by a fifth the use of plastic bags is on target to reach its goal by July.

Packaging Accord 2004 -- a packaging recycling plan to be completed by 2009 -- is on track to hit a 20 percent plastic bag reduction with 144 million fewer bags used each year.

So far, 100 million bags have been taken out of circulation, most (86 million) in the past two years as the campaign to involve shoppers has gained momentum.

Foodstuffs New Zealand, Progressive Enterprises, Woolworths and The Warehouse were among those to sign the Packaging Accord in 2004.

Other major retailers, such as Mitre 10 and Caltex, have also joined the campaign. Others, including Bunnings and Borders, have their own bag reduction scheme.

The New Zealand Retailers Association opposes a ban or mandatory tax on plastic bags and rejects calls for New Zealand to follow the South Australian government, which introduced a Plastic Shopping Bags (Waste Avoidance) Act on January 1.

Delhi was not first to ban plastic bags -- Bangladesh brought in a ban in 2002 for the same reason -- to counter increasing fears they were blocking drains during the monsoon.

Australia, Taiwan, Rwanda and Singapore have since banned, discouraged or promoted re-use of plastic bags. Towns and cities in India, the United States and the United Kingdom have followed.

Taxing plastic bags has been tried out in both Denmark and Ireland. The tax, imposed in 2002 in Ireland, had reduced useage in Dublin by more than 95 percent.

UK supermarkets were warned in 2007 that they had a year to reduce the number of plastic bags handed out, or face legislation.


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