Report on plastic bags

The Association of Cities and Regions for Recycling and Sustainable Resource Management (ACR+) has published an update of its 2006 report on plastic bags. The report looks at the initiatives aimed at controlling the use of plastic bags in more than 50 countries around the world.

Based on the estimation that every person in a typical industrialised country consumes 300 plastic bags per year, 150 billion bags are distributed each year across Europe alone. While debate remains divided over whether plastic bags constitute little more than a nuisance or represent a serious environmental and amenity hazard, interest in the topic has never been higher.

The report provides an in-depth introduction to the issues surrounding plastic bag use. It also outlines the different plastic bag policies implemented in countries as diverse as Jordan and Belgium, which makes for interesting comparisons. One example of successful management of plastic bags abroad is in Ireland, where the € 0.15 bag tax (introduced in 2002) resulted in a 90 per cent reduction in plastic bag consumption. The levy also yields € 19 million in revenue each year, which goes towards the Environment Fund.

'Plastic Bags - Policies and Practices to Reduce Consumption' can be purchased (or accessed free of charge by ACR+ members) at: http://www.acrplus.org/technical-reports