The ban on single-use plastic shopping bags is now in effect across New Zealand.

The ban, which took effect on Monday, July 1, prohibits plastic bags up to 70 microns thick, which includes the light-weight bags commonly found at supermarket, takeaway food and other retail checkouts, as well as the heavier boutique-style bags found at clothing stores. It does not apply to plastic packaging, and some plastic bags are exempt.

Businesses can no longer provide their customers with bags that fall under the ban, and can be fined up to $100,000 if they do so.

The ban was first announced in 2018, and many retailers, including Countdown, Mitre 10 and the Warehouse Group, have already stopped providing single-use plastic bags at checkout.

According to the New Zealand government, consumers are also on board with the ban.

According to survey research done for the Ministry of the Environment, the percentage of shoppers who said they always or often bring their own resusable bag rose from 56 per cent in April 2018 to 91 per cent in September 2018.

“Government regulations and the sum of many individual actions make a difference,”
Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said.

“New Zealanders remembering to take their reusable bags is stopping tens of millions of single plastic bags becoming waste each year.”

The ban on single-use plastic bags coincides with the start of Plastic-Free July, a global movement to reduce plastic pollution.

According to the government, the ban will help ensure less plastic ends up in rivers, streams, stormwater systems and the ocean and protect the seabirds, fish, turtles and marine mammals that live there.

The Auckland Council has released a statement urging retailers not to send their leftover plastic bags to landfill, while a number of Canterbury councils are collecting unused plastic bags from retailers and charity shops and sending them to a plastic recycling company for future use. The campaign runs from July 1 through August 2.

“For retailers who still have bags left on July 1, we encourage them to look at alternatives before landfilling them. It is legal for retailers to donate the bags as long as they are used as bin liners, and not carry bags,” said Parul Sood, programme director of Waste Solutions, in a statement.