New Zealand shakes up supermarkets, says no more to fruit and veggie plastic bags

In a pioneering environmental move, New Zealand has broadened its ban on single-use plastic bags to include those often used for fruits and vegetables in supermarkets.

This expansion, effective from Saturday, intensifies the government’s ongoing fight against single-use plastics, setting a global precedent. The initial prohibition on take-home plastic bags was enacted in 2019, leading to a massive reduction in plastic waste, and encouraging New Zealanders to habitually carry their own bags for shopping. The enhanced ban is expected to curb the use of approximately 150 million plastic bags annually.

Associate Environment Minister Rachel Brooking, when announcing the news, underlined New Zealand’s serious issue with plastic waste. She stated the prior initiative on thicker bags alone helped eliminate over a billion plastic bags from circulation. Brooking acknowledged concerns about consumers opting for disposable paper bags, but emphasised the broader goal was to minimize single-use packaging of any kind. Encouraging consumers to bring their own bags, supermarkets, in turn, have started offering reusable produce bags.

Countdown, a well-known supermarket chain with over 185 outlets nationwide, has responded proactively by providing reusable polyester mesh bags for fresh produce. Despite recognizing the challenges associated with such changes, Catherine Langabeer, the head of sustainability at Countdown, hopes that providing these bags will encourage customers to transition to reusable options.

In the context of New Zealand’s other initiatives, such as a proposed scheme to tax greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, this move further strengthens the country’s commitment to combating climate change.