extremist's ban on plastic bags
from AntBlog701

extremist's ban on plastic bags

South Australia (S.A.) will be the first state in the nation to ban plastic shopping bags starting 4th May 2009.

Okay, we all know that plastic shopping bags are not good for the environment, but a dramatic approach under the "environmentally-friendly plan" umbrella (read: excuse) with a threat - a hefty $20,000 fine - is just too extreme. Perhaps our friends of open-source extremists like this approach.

One commenter said nicely, “They should look at the alternatives, such as biodegradable plastic bags before introducing new legislation”.

South Australia's plastic shopping bag ban to introduce heavy fines (news.com.au, 12 April 2009):

The environmentally-friendly plan, starting on May 4, is backed up by steep penalties for businesses caught distributing the wrong type of plastic bag.

Retailers will face on-the-spot fines of $315 or a maximum fine of $5000 for breaching the ban. If a supplier provides a retailer with bags it knows are banned, it can be fined $20,000.

(...)

The ban does not apply to the bags on rolls commonly used for fruit and vegetables or meat in the supermarket, and heavier department store or boutique clothing bags will still be available.

Shoppers are being urged to carry green reusable shopping bags with them.

For the reference, South Australia is the only state in Australia that runs 5c refund for each drink can/bottle.

Further, shoppers are NOT being awarded for trying to be “environmentally friendly”. A few shops charges 5 to 10 cents for getting a plastic bag to carry the purchased goods home, and a many shops have a sign saying something like saving the environment and asking you to buy a green reusable bag for 99 cents or more.