GOOD NEWS! Australia follows China in tackling plastic bags
Australia follows China in tackling plastic bags
Canberra - Hot on the heels of China, Australia is tackling the problem
of wafer-thin plastic carrier bags. Environment Minister Peter Garrett
hopes the plastic bags will no longer be available in shops and
supermarkets by the end of the year. He says tens of millions of the bags litter Australia's countryside and beaches, and he wants to reach agreements with the federal states on banning the bags.
Earlier this week, China announced similar plans, with shops being stopped from giving plastic bags away free from 1 June. Extremely thin plastic bags will be banned altogether.
Chinese people use up to 3 billion plastic bags a day and the country has to refine 5 million tonnes (37 million barrels) of crude oil every year to make plastics used for packaging, according to a report on the Web site of China Trade News (www.chinatradenews.com.cn).
'Absolutely critical'
Mr Garrett said he thought most Australians would back a move to end the distribution of free plastic bags in supermarkets and shops.
"There are some 4 billion of these plastic bags floating around the place, getting into landfills, ending up affecting our wildlife, and showing up on our beaches while we are on holidays," he said.
"We think it's absolutely critical that we get cracking on it."
Mr Garrett did not specify whether he favoured an outright ban or whether shoppers would be charged for plastic bags.
Several countries have or are considering taking action to reduce the use of plastic bags. 
On Wednesday, the US city of New York passed a bill requiring large shops to provide recycling bins for plastic bags.
Other US cities, such as San Francisco, have already banned plastic bags from grocery shops.
In Ireland, meanwhile, under a law passed in 2002, shoppers are charged for every plastic bag they use.IT'S A START AND I HOPE THE REST OF THE WORLD WILL FOLLOW!!
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