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Steps for Towns
In April 2003 Coles Bay in Tasmania was the first town in Australia to go ‘Plastic Bag Free’ when the town joined Planet Ark to ban plastic check-out bags. Click here to read their story.
Planet Ark has since worked with the communities of Huskisson, Kangaroo Valley, Mogo and Oyster Bay in NSW and Birregurra, Cannon’s Creek, Metung and Murtoa in Victoria to help them also become Plastic Bag Free Towns.
This is how your town can do the same:
- Make sure your town or suburb is capable of going Plastic Check-out Bag Free.
A town or suburb that is capable of going Plastic Check-out Bag Free has all locally owned supermarkets and retail outlets. This makes it easier as the decision to ban plastic bags can be community driven at the very local level.
- Designate a local champion to coordinate your town's Plastic Bag Free campaign.
- Talk to local community groups e.g Tidy Towns, Lions or Rotary clubs, that may be able to help you.
- Compile a list of retailers in your town that use plastic check-out bags.
It may be useful for you to identify those stores in your area that are already plastic check-out bag free. You can use the names of these retailers when you are persuading other retailers to stop using plastic check-out bags.
- Order paper, calico and polypropylene bags for every retailer to sell.
Planet Ark can help you with this. Click here for details of reusable bag options, prices and ordering details. In Coles Bay the paper bags are being sold for $0.25c each and the calico bags are selling for $2.50 each.
- Write to all retailers in your town to invite them to join your Plastic Bag Free Town campaign.
- Run an information night for retailers and the local community to attend.
Make sure you have read through the 'Why are plastic bags a problem' and the 'Frequently Asked Questions' pages on this website to help you answer questions you may be asked. You can also show Planet Ark's Plastic Bag Free DVD compile to them. This DVD has some great footage of the whale that died after ingesting six square metres of plastic and also a segment about Coles Bay, Australia's First Plastic Bag Free Town.
- Get retailers to sign off on their commitment to go Plastic Bag Free.
- Decide on a design to go on your town bags.
By having one design for the whole town you can save money as there will only be one set up cost. This also ties the whole community effort together. Planet Ark can help you with this. Click here for details of reusable bag options, prices and ordering details.
- Set a launch date for when your town will be Plastic Check-Out Bag Free.
This will be when the reusable bag orders arrive and can be distributed throughout the town.
- Make local launch date announcement so all residents are aware of their town going Plastic Check-Out Bag Free.
Contact all local media to cover this.
- Arrange Plastic Bag Free Town launch day.
Invite local Mayor to attend and speak.
Notify all local media to cover launch.
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