The decision, which became effective on Saturday, is a component of a larger government initiative to ban single-use plastics. Since take-home plastic bags were outlawed in 2019, the majority of customers now carry their own bags to stores.
Many nations have recently implemented a levy or a ban on plastic bags. Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking stated that New Zealand creates an excessive amount of garbage, particularly plastic waste.
She noted that since the prohibition on thicker bags went into effect in 2019, more than one billion plastic bags had been avoided. The new initiative is anticipated to stop the use of 150 million plastic bags annually.
Critics worry that consumers would simply put their items in the throwaway paper bags that are still offered by stores. We absolutely want to eliminate single-use item packaging, but it’s still worthwhile to do this, Ms. Brooking added.
Therefore, she continued, “we want people to bring their own bags, and supermarkets are selling reusable produce bags. Reusable polyester mesh bags are now available from the supermarket chain Countdown, which has more than 185 locations nationwide.”
