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The Impact of Canberra, Australia’s Plastic Bag Ban
In 2011, Canberra, Australia, banned single-use shopping bags, and in an attempt to see if the ban has been effective, Curious Canberra has looked into the topic.
1 Min Read
In 2011, Canberra, Australia, banned single-use shopping bags, and in an attempt to see if the ban has been effective, Curious Canberra has looked into the topic.
The ACT Government, which banned the plastic bags, released a review of the plastic bag ban in 2014, which revealed that there was a 36 percent reduction in landfill waste within the first two years of launching the ban.
Shortly after that, Keep America Beautiful released its 2015-16 National Litter Index, revealing that plastic bag litter "fell significantly and almost immediately after the [ban] came into effect."
In addition to the plastic bag ban in Canberra, other cities across the globe are considering plastic bag bans and fees. The Town of Adams, Mass., for example, is taking part of the state’s Bagshare Project and is working toward its goal of making 8,400 reusable bags by Earth Day.
ABC News has more details:
Sarah Power started reflecting on the ban after a shopping trip with friends.
"I was in Victoria, where they don't have a plastic bag ban, with a friend of mine from Brisbane and a friend of mine from Canberra," she said.
"Just as he said that my friend from Canberra walked out [of the supermarket] holding five or six items without a bag... and I thought clearly Canberrans seem to be quite careful of their waste."
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