Ban overview

Posted: 27.04.09  |  Created by:

South Australian Minister for Environment and Conservation Jay Weatherill re-introduced state legislation on September 24 2008 to ban lightweight plastic shopping bags throughout SA. This legislation passed in both houses of the SA Parliament.

Single-use, light-weight polyethylene bags cannot be given away or sold by retailers for carrying goods from 4 May 2009. Retailers will be able to charge for alternative bags they supply.

The new amendments include:

• a definition of ‘biodegradable bag’ to ensure it is easy to understand which bags are not subject to the ban
• a defence where a retailer supplies plastic shopping bags based on a reasonable belief that the bags were of a type that is not subject to the ban
• an offence applying to a person who supplies a plastic shopping bag to a retailer and representing that the bag is not subject to the ban
• a review clause to gauge the effectiveness of the phase out once it has been in place for two years.

Return to 'The SA Ban' section. or the home page.