Shire seeks to ban single-use plastic bags

The Shire of East Pilbara may join other local governments in a plastic bag ban as they seek public comment on the issue.

At last month’s ordinary council meeting, the councillors saw a motion to advertise a draft Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law for public comment prior to the formal introduction.

The draft law aims at reducing the availability of single-use plastic bags to the public via retail outlets to reduce the type of plastic as a source of litter.

The item comes after Woolworths Group announced it would phase out single-use lightweight plastic shopping bags across its entire store network within the next 12 months — a move it said would reduce plastic bag usage and protect the environment.

The State Government has said it would not oppose local governments introducing local laws to reduce waste to protect the environment.

Legislation to prohibit retailers from providing customers with single-use plastic bags is now in force in South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.