Esperance -  registered March 2003, launched June 2004

Community of Esperance : Bag Smart Programme

Bag Smart is a campaign to reduce our use of plastic shopping bags - the ‘single use’ bag. The programme has been extremely successful in Esperance achieving a 75% reduction in 3.5 years.

Did you know …we have reduced our weekly use of plastic shopping bags by 75%.  In January 2003 we were using over 100 000 plastic bags every week in Esperance.  In June 2006 we were using around 28 500 per week.

Not all plastic bags are on the target list in the Bag Smart programme.  Below is a list of the types of bags that are included and excluded in the programme.  When we refer to being ‘plastic bag free’ it is with the assumption that the plastic bags on the exemption list may still be being used.
 
Banned - plastic bags we want to stop using in Esperance
HDPE = high density bag – clear plastic bags, used mainly in the supermarkets.
LDPE = low density bag – larger thick plastic bags eg; bags from the larger department stores and Jeans shops.
 
Exceptions - plastic bags that still may need to be used
Bags for meat, hot chickens, hot foods, nuts and perishable items, bread bags, freezer bags, ice, bait, coin bags, bin liners and doggy doo bags. 

When Shopping

• Use recyclable bags. Keep them in your car and remember to take them with you when you go into a shop. Even if you don’t intend to buy anything take one just in case.
• Pack your shopping back into the trolley then unload it straight into your car into boxes or crates that you keep in the boot. 
• Try to shop at stores that offer alternatives to plastic bags. eg. Paper bags or boxes.

When at home

• Recycle and re-use as much of your rubbish as you can. 
• Wrap rubbish in newspaper before putting it in the bin. 
• Compost kitchen scraps and use it on your garden.
• Set up a worm farm and feed your scraps to the earthworms

What will I use for a bin liner?  Plastic bin liners are on the exemption list in the bag smart programme because at present there is no substitute.  Instead of using a bin liner, you could try wrapping kitchen scraps in newspaper before placing in your bin. 
 
Better still, bury them for compost or feed your scraps to the earthworms in your worm farm. 
 
If you have no wet waste in your rubbish bin then you may not need a bin liner at all. 
 
Are there alternatives for bin liners?  Some biodegradable bags are coming onto the market but the Australian Retailers Assoc. is concerned that some do not meet their claims of degradability.  Corn starch bags are being made in WA but at present are more expensive.
 
What else can I do? 
 
REFUSE 
REDUCE 
REUSE 
RECYCLE

• Refuse – Say “No” to plastic bags and try to buy products with less packaging. 
• Reduce – Use less plastic bags by putting more in each bag.  To reduce your rubbish, compost your food scraps or set up a worm farm.
• Re-use – Use your plastic bags over and over again.
• Recycle – clean plastic bags in your blue recycling bin.  Place all bags inside one bag.  Remove rubbish and shopping dockets.