garrett wants bags gone by years end

A conundrum - what to do

THE Federal Government hopes to phase out plastic bags by the end of the year.

Environment Minister Peter Garrett today confirmed he would meet his state counterparts, as soon as April, to develop a strategy to speed up the process.

"We would like to see the phase out implemented by 2008 ... that is absolutely critical," Mr Garrett said on Sky News.

"We want to phase them out, so do the states, we think it's absolutely critical that we get cracking on it."

The nation produces four billion plastic bags annually with most of them ending up in landfill.

Environmental groups welcomed the move but retailers said it could add to greenhouse gas emissions.

Australian Retailers Association CEO Richard Evans said a substitute, like paper, would be worse for the environment.

"Whoever wants to save the planet on this one is off the planet because it won't," Mr Evans said.

He said the Productivity Commission recently found no evidence plastic bags caused significant damage to the environment.

"Plastic bags are a part of our lives - if we replace them we are going to replace them with paper and where's the paper going to come from.

"Do we cut down more trees to resolve the paper issue, do we increase greenhouse gases?"

Mr Evans said the Government was playing "popular politics" and the emphasis should be on litter management.

"What I am calling on the Government to do is rather than heavy-handed populist politics, start talking to the broader community in terms of litter management."

One option the Government will consider is imposing a levy on plastic bags.

Both the retailers association and environmental group Clean Up Australia say it is not a proven way to reduce the number of plastic bags in the long term.

"It has always been the policy of Labor to look at a total ban in 2008 and that is what Minister Garrett is doing and we totally support that," Clean Up Australia chairman Ian Kiernan said.

"But we are not in favour of a levy.

"We know that with the Irish example there was a dramatic reduction in the acceptance of plastic bags with the levy but that started to creep back and it has not proved to be effective in the long term."

The retailers association said a levy would also add cost and inconvenience for consumers.

Mr Garrett, who said he was not "personally" in favour of a levy, said consumers would not be disadvantaged.

"We certainly don't want to disadvantage the consumer and I don't believe in any way that any measure that will be brought forward will do that," Mr Garrett said on Macquarie Radio.