Plastic bag ban

Bag_ban_1.jpg

Only recently, Victorians have used over 1 billion plastic shopping bags every year. The majority of these bags end up in landfill and around 10 million end up as litter, polluting our environment and endangering our wildlife.

Who does the ban apply to?

The ban applies to ALL retailers - including supermarkets, bakeries, pharmacies, clothes stores, cafes, restaurants, markets, food outlets, discount stores and many more.

The ban applies to all lightweight plastic shopping bags which have a thickness of 35 microns or less at any part of the bag, including biodegradable, degradable and compostable bags.

Which alternative bags are allowed?

  • Paper or cardboard bags
  • Cloth, jute and hessian bags
  • Non-woven bags
  • Heavyweight reusable plastic bags

Allowed Bags.JPG

This ban is just the first step in the Government’s broader agenda to reduce single-use, unnecessary and problematic plastics.

Check out the Bag Ban Factsheet for Businesses(PDF, 356KB) or visit the Vic Bag Ban website.

 

Back to top