Thousands of New Zealanders have their say on plastic bags

Submissions are rolling in from across New Zealand on the Government’s proposed phase-out of single-use plastic shopping bags, with more than 4,000 received so far.

Now with just over a week of the consultation to go, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage is encouraging all Kiwis who want to have their say on this issue, to do so.

“New Zealanders have called on the Government to take action on single-use plastic bags, and we’ve listened. Earlier this year I received a petition signed by 65,000 people calling for an outright ban on these bags.

“This consultation is important to ensure we get things right. We want to hear from as many people as possible about factors like how fast we move and which types of plastic bags are included in the mandatory phase out.

“Ultimately phasing out single-use plastic shopping bags will mean a change for all New Zealanders when they purchase their groceries and other retail goods. This is an opportunity for people to have their say on how New Zealand makes this change.

“We use hundreds of millions of single-use plastic shopping bags every year in New Zealand. Far too many of these end up in the environment, particularly our marine environments where they are harming marine life and entering the food chain, which is a real concern for human health.

“Many other countries have taken action on plastic bags and I am confident we can do this.  We need to ensure the way we make the change is right for the New Zealand context – that’s why submissions are so important and I encourage people to have their say.”

Submissions are open until Friday 14 September. To have your say visit www.mfe.govt.nz.

Latest Environment Announcements

Story

NZ needs strong protection against water privatisation

New Zealanders deserve strong protection against the future privatisation of water assets, the Green Party says.
Read More

Story

Nature missing in RMA reform

The Government has missed a crucial opportunity to redesign the resource management system with climate and nature at its heart. 
Read More

Story

Report shows reducing actual farming emissions vital

Evidence shows that relying on offsets to reduce agriculture’s impact on the climate will not work, the Green Party says.
Read More

Story

Budget 2022: Greens call for urgency with nature-first climate investments

Budget 2022 shows progress on conservation commitments in the Green Party’s cooperation agreement Green Party achievements in the last Government ...
Read More

Story

Nature needs us to act right now

The Green Party welcomes the release of the implementation plan for Te Mana o te Taiao Aotearoa New Zealand Biodiversity Strategy and calls on the ...
Read More

Story

Urgent action needed to bring natural environment back from the brink

The release today of Environment Aotearoa 2022 is a sobering reminder of what is at stake if the Government does not step up and take urgent action...
Read More

Latest Waste Announcements

Story

Container return scheme will benefit recycling and the oceans

The work Green Ministers did last term is continuing to make a difference, with the announcement today that the Government is planning to introduce...
Read More

Story

Waste strategy needs to learn from nature

Anything less than a transformational national waste strategy and waste legislation will not be enough, the Green Party said today.
Read More

Story

Greens welcome progress on hard to recycle and single use plastics, but more needs to be done

The Green Party welcomes progress on the phase-out of some hard to recycle plastics and some single-use plastics, but says more must be done.
Read More

Story

More action on waste – Government funds recycling infrastructure, moves to standardise kerbside collections

$36.7m Government investment in high-tech recycling plants nationwide Plan to standardise and improve the nation’s kerbside collections As part o...
Read More

Story

New rules for the outdoor storage of tyres

The Government is introducing environmental standards for tyres stored outdoors announced Associate Minister for the Environment, Eugenie Sage. “A ...
Read More

Story

Government announces plan to tackle problem plastics and seven single-use plastic items

Following the success of the phase out of single-use plastic shopping bags, the Government now has plans to phase out more single-use and problem p...
Read More