Plastic bags are free, convenient, versatile, re-usable and through a voluntary program Australians apparently use nearly 50 percent less of them than we did three years ago.
But from 2009 you will need to pay for every plastic bag you take from a supermarket if you live in Victoria. Why? Because they are apparently a “as symbol of our inefficient use of resources”.
I've glean this information from an article in yesterday's The Australian entitled Plastic Bagging by their new environment reporter Matthew Warren.
The article also mentions that even with generous definitions of environmental hazard for plastic bags, the cost of imposing various bans on their use is about four times greater than the environmental benefit.
So why is the Victorian government going to ban their free distribution from 2009 and how are plastic bags a symbol of inefficient resource use?
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I’ve previously blogged on biodegradable plastic bags: https://climatelab.com.au/blog/archives/000993.html .
Thanks Stephen.
A couple of comments.
How much less than 1%? Because 1% of bags would translate to a *lot* of plastic litter in the marine environment! According to Clean Up Australia (http://www.cleanup.com.au/au/Campaigns/plastic-bag-facts.html) Australia uses over 6.5 billion bags per year. Clean Up reckon they collect 500,000 bags per year on clean up australia day.
Cost-benefit analysis that seek to compare the public or environmental good of a policy with the economic cost of implementation may be attempted increasingly often, but you are exaggerating the possible objectivity and acceptance of such analyses. I've seen and participated in several such analyses, and i'm yet to see one that i would say of it "gee that document was really worth reading". This is *the* problem for our society when it comes to dealing with environmental problems - how do you put a price on them?
IF you don't believe me on this, take a read of the chapter on assessing environmental costs in the Allen report you linked to, and have a laugh/cry as you do. Don't miss them labelling the social impact as an 'x-factor' that they can't quantify! They used the term 'x-factor'!?!?!
As an aside, consulting firms (not just Allen Consulting) seem to have a market for their pedalled offerings because for some reason mediocre or time-short public servants and lobbyists seem to think its a good idea to pay $50,000+ to produce reports that are of university assignment standard, with use of an expensive and exclusive economics model thrown in to give it a vague semblance of rigour (garbage in, garbage out applies). AT the moment, having the name of a consulting firm on a doc seems to be what you are paying for, so it looks kind of independent. From bitter personal experience, if you hire a consulting firm to write something for you, you have to spend a painful month correcting and improving the draft they provide, then communicating to them (because they are always either not real smart or else not willing to waste precious consulting hours fixing up their crap) why their report needed improving.
IT is my sincere hope that in the near future, most people will be sufficiently non-plussed by the appalling contributions to analysis that many consulting firms make, that they will either be put out of business, or else will be forced to lift their game markedly to stay viable.
Steve
If you think a total ban on the use of a product constitutes a targeted response then I'd hate to be the one responsible for cleaning up the floor around your toilet bowl.
The PC draft report on waste management (page 188) says that extent to which plastic bags harm Australia’s marine wildlife is very uncertain (an often quoted figure of worldwide marine animal deaths of 100,000 a year is based on one study from Canada in the 1980s) but what is certain is that few bags end up in the marine environment - less than 1% of bags become litter - so far fewer would end up in the marine environment.
Cost benefit analyses of this type of problem are undertaken all the time. The Allen Consulting Group analysis for the EPHC that found that the economic and environmental costs exceed the benefits by a wide margin can be found at:
http://www.ephc.gov.au/pdf/Plastic_Bags/PlasticBags_ACG_LWPB_May06.pdf
(I'm not Steve M)
I think a ban is targetted squarely at the problem of plastic bags contributing to marine pollution, and over time would greatly reduce plastic bag pollution.
I think there is a bigger question of the cost, rather than the benefit, though. I don't know how you would compare the cost of marine pollution to the cost of plastic bags, and whether or not it would weigh up as a net good.
For me, its no problem to use the green bags (i actually like having more cupboard space not filled with huge quantities of plastic bags that i haven't used for bin lining yet) so i use the green bags, and the minor cost to get them hasn't bothered me.
Steve
The PC approach may not be 100% effective when compared to a ban but show me how a costly ban would have clear net benefits? The pro-banners want to use a sledge hammer to crack a nut. Something targeted at the problem is more sensible.
Steve - if you are Steve M - you didn't answer any of the questions I posed.
hasbeen: "George, the germans have a lot of other policies, just as silly as that one. It is becoming doubtful that they will get out of the mess such policies have precipitated."
whatchyaonabouthasbeen?
care to substantiate, rationalise in any depth?
Did you read previous exchange (recent thread) about liberties in Europe you do'nt enjoy in Aust?
Or about some of the social limitations in Germany being imposed upon it by WWII victors?
So far, no-one has provided a list of liberties you enjoy in Aust that aren't available in Europe or Germany.
I'll add another to the list of liberties one enjoys in europe: unrestricted broadband and generally, less contractual obligation on your ICT! Generally you pay according to bandwidth (speed) in europe, in Aust too but here they all cap your total monthly usage, over which they strangle it &/or charge like a wounded bull. That policy doesn't match the wholesale basis for the supply of internet bandwidth - it's an unnecessary restriction. Ditto for the lengthy contractual obligations to get a mobile phone in aust - much more flexible, more choice in Europe where you can get a post-paid account without having to enter a contract.
Silly policies/socialist restrictions my butthole! Put your explanation where your mouth is.
I think its great that we have a productivity commission. But lets not pretend they are infallible.
Better to target plastic bag litter through increased enforcement and fine activity!?
Common sense alone should tell you that with something as prolific as plastic bags that are also easy to lose or get blown about, fines and enforcement will not do much at all to alleviate pollution.
Re steve m
The information from nature Australia raises more questions than it answers-
"plastics make up 66-80 per cent of all marine litter" - is that plastic shopping bags or plastics of any source?
"at least 44% of seabird species are known to ingest it" - but what is the incidence of harmful ingestion by these species? To what extent is this species threatening or dos it add to the background noise of hazards faced by these animals? What is the extent of this damage (ie are there robust estimates of the benefit arising from banning plastic bags) and does it outweigh the costs of removing a useful product the bulk of which does not end up in the marine environment. If removing this damage does outweigh the benefits from use of plastic bags, are there better policies than a ban?
For example, the Productivity Commission recently suggested that plastic shopping bag bans were inefficient and that it would be better to target plastic bag litter through increased enforcement and fine activity.
Unless we are staring down the barrel of species annihilation (which I strongly doubt) that approach seems more reasonable than a ban. Especially given the manifest benefit from cheap, clean shopping bags (even when not re-used).
George, the germans have a lot of other policies, just as silly as that one.
It is becoming doubtful that they will get out of the mess such policies have precipitated.
If you want a plastice bag in a German supermarket, you pay for it - between 10-25c a bag..
I hear you pinxi. i couldn't get the hang of using green bags most of the time until i discovered the little zip-up ones, that fold down to the size of a wallet. I keep two in my work bag, so if i happen to do some shopping on the way home from work, i have two bags with me.