10 August 2018

Local government welcome Government action on single-use plastic bags

LGNZ welcome this morning’s announcement by the Government on action towards phasing out the use of single-use plastic bags.

“Local government have been pushing for action on single-use plastic bags since 2015, due to the significant impacts on the environment and that the costs of dealing with them are ultimately borne by ratepayers,” said LGNZ President Dave Cull.

That remit led to a campaign in 2017 asking the then Government to impose a point-of-sale levy on single-use plastic bags that received no response or action.

In July this year 95 per cent of LGNZ councils adopted a remit to advocate to central government to urgently develop and implement a plan to eliminate the use of single-use plastic bags and plastic straws, as well as encouraging LGNZ members to phase out the use of these items at their own council facilities.

Mayors and councillors from across the country also joined a petition earlier this year that collected 65,000 signatures, asking Government to ban single-use plastic bags.

LGNZ President Dave Cull says “Eliminating single-use plastic bags is an important step in removing waste that ends up in our environment and will assist the efficiency of our members’ recycling initiatives, as single-use bags often clog recycling machinery.”

“Today’s announcement is a step in the right direction, and LGNZ will be supporting further moves to also eliminate single-use plastic straws,” says Mr Cull.

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