2017-01-16 GC - Attachment 1 to Item 8 - Plastic Bag Discussion Paper

Inclusion of biodegradable plastic shopping bags
Those Australian states and territories that have legislated to restrict plastic bags have all allowed ‘biodegradable’ bags to
continue to be used if they comply with the Australian Standard for biodegradable plastics suitable for composting.
Increasingly, plastic packaging products carry ‘environmentally-friendly’ labelling such as degradable, biodegradable,
oxo-degradable or compostable. These competing claims are confusing for retailers and consumers alike. Retailers
in jurisdictions with plastic bag bans have experienced difficulty sourcing genuine Australian Standard compliant
biodegradable products.
In addition, these products do not avoid some of the most concerning environmental impacts. As litter, prior to totally
breaking down, they are just as much an eyesore as the non-degradable bags.
Petrochemical-based oxo or hydro-degradable bags that break down into tiny pieces of microplastic can actually
spread contamination in the environment. This is now a growing concern in overseas countries which have seen a
proliferation of degradable bags.
Even fully biodegradable or compostable plastics can still have the same physical impacts as conventional plastics
when they are eaten by animals. Plastics that comply with the Australian Standard are only biodegradable under
commercial composting conditions that do not exist generally in the environment. Research shows these plastics do
not break down quickly when ingested by animals.
Biodegradable plastics can also contaminate loads of plastic collected for recycling. They are not easy to identify or
separate out and can end up causing faults in products manufactured with recycled plastics.
Some of the most recent international laws on controlling plastic bags have not exempted biodegradable bags. The
UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 2015 Review of standards for biodegradable plastic carrier
bags found that:

    ‘It is not currently possible to assemble a standard specification that would ensure that plastic
    bags claiming to be biodegradable would biodegrade in all environments, in particular in the
    open environment.’
The review found that further detailed research would be needed before any types of carrier bag could be excluded
from the charge on the grounds of biodegradability.


Voluntary reduction measures
There are a number of voluntary mechanisms that can help reduce the use of plastic bags. A number of towns and
communities, and individual retailers, have taken their own voluntary action to ban plastic bags.
Industry’s preference is for voluntary measures. However, while some large businesses have already adopted
voluntary measures, others have not.
Rising numbers of shopping bags following the end in 2005 of the Code of Practice showed the effect of this voluntary
initiative wearing off and indicates that ongoing action is needed to have a lasting impact. As not all retailers took
part in the voluntary Code, some retailers were affected more than others.
Previous voluntary programs have focused on lightweight bags. However, given that heavier-weight plastic
‘department store’ bags also pose a littering risk and environmental hazard, there is an opportunity to begin a new
voluntary process partnering with department stores and other retailers to phase out heavier-weight single-use
plastic bags.
These heavier-weight plastic bags are lower in numbers than lightweight supermarket bags and so present in the
litter stream at a lower rate. There may be a risk that acting to restrict lightweight plastic supermarket bags would
lead to an increase in the number of heavier-weight bags in the environment. As plastic department store bags can
readily be replaced by non-plastic alternatives, voluntary measures are likely to be an effective way to reduce their
usage. There are already numerous examples of shops moving from heavier-weight LDPE plastic department store
bags to cardboard or reusable alternatives.


Research
The Queensland Government intends to facilitate further research to collect detailed baseline data on plastic bag
use, plastic bag litter and environmental impacts. This will help to understand the effects of the interventions—both
regulatory and voluntary—that are put in place, and assist with the evaluation of the interventions.




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