New Zealand's plastic bag ban - have your say.

Submissions are open to have your say on NZ's plastic bag ban.  Make your submission here so that the bag ban can result in meaningful change. Submissions close at 5.00 pm on Friday 14 September 2018. 

There is a 57 page consultation document but if you don't want to read it then here are some important points, and check out Wanaka WasteBuster's submission.

• The bag is only on bags with handles, so plastic bin liners, produce bags and dog poo bags will still be on sale.
• Plastic bags with handles will still exist, they will just be thicker. How much thicker is a key part of the consultation.

The thickness of a bag is a key factor in determining whether the public will treat it as a reusable bag or as single use bag. The thicker the bag in theory the more likely people are to reuse it. The government is proposing either a ban of bags under 50 microns or under 70 microns. 

The photo attached is taken from the consultation document and gives you a good idea of what kinds of bags you can expect at the different levels of microns.

The Rubbish Whisperer supports a ban of plastic bags under 70 microns and this should include compostable bags until there is the necessary national infrastructure to collect and process them.

Thanks to WasteMinz for the photo and summary points