GEJI 2009: Project Plastic Bags

Ever wondered what exactly is a Green Bag? Are they better alternatives to plastic bag consumption? Katherine McGrow reports on the truth behind the Green Bag and investigates just how environmentally-friendly they really are.

GEJI reporter on exchange from Denmark in Australia, Jeppe Funder reports:

Levies on plastic bags lower usage dramatically. Need proof? Look no further than the Danish experience. A levy was introduced in 1993, when Danish consumers went through about 750 million bags per year. In 1995 the number was below 300 million, clearly showing the effect of the $5.80-per-kilogram levy introduced by the government.

GEJI Australian exchange student Gemma Black reports from a Netto supermarket in central Aarhus, Denmark.

Netto is a budget Danish supermarket chain, owned by the Danish Supermarket Group (Dansk Supermarked Gruppen). There are 398 Netto stores in Denmark, as well as hundreds in Germany, England, Sweden and Poland.

Netto charges customers 3 kroner per plastic bag. Branded Netto plastic bags can be found beneath the checkout counter. This is standard practice among all large supermarket chains in Denmark (e.g. Kvickly, Lidl, Aldi, Fakta), none of which offer customers free plastic bags. This is as a result of the levy on plastic bags introduced by the government in 1994. But charging for plastic bags is not mandatory and many smaller stores still give them away.

One is a sleepy tourist village; the other is a megapolis half a world away. While Coles Bay in Tasmania and Mexico City have little in common, they do share a determination to remove plastic bags from circulation once and for all.

In doing so they sow seeds of hope that a sustainable nationwide ban will be a reality in Australia sooner rather than later. Luke Hamblen writes.

Victoria conducted a four-week plastic bag levy trial in three towns last year, resulting in a 79% drop in consumption over that period, says Sustainability Victoria.

Victoria conducted a four-week plastic bag levy trial in three towns last year, resulting in a 79% drop in consumption over that period, says Sustainability Victoria.

Sophie Tarr and Lauren Day surveyed an inner-city Helsinki store at lunchtime. Here are their findings.

There are two main types of plastic bags: those that are biodegradable are those that are not.

Biodegradable bags are created from a plastic called polylactide, which is produced after starch obtained from corn or potatoes is converted into lactic acid and polymerised. Biodegradation is triggered by ultraviolet light, heat or mechanical stress. As the plastic begins to oxidise it becomes brittle and susceptible to the usual agents of degradation, such as moisture and microbes. When discarded, plastic bags can take as little as a few months to degrade.

What to know how many Green Bags are currently in circulation? Or wondering how Green Bags started?

How has Ireland tackled the environmental debate that is plastic bags?