Australia bans more single-use plastics - BBC News

Australia has introduced a ban on thick plastic shopping bags and mass balloon releases to cut down on single-use plastics.
Authorities in three states are also banning a range of products including plastic cotton buds.
Conservationists have said that Australia has become a world leader in banning single-use plastics.
Scientists say that more than 171 trillion pieces of plastics are estimated to be floating in the world's oceans.
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#Australia #Environment #BBCNews

[@billkingston4402]

A chemistry teacher told me in the 70's plastic is a disaster waiting to happen

[@turquoiseturquoiseturquois1174]

Based chemistry teacher

[@cathyrivas6496]

Bravo Australia. Let's hope the rest of the world follows suit.

[@turquoiseturquoiseturquois1174]

Based Australia

[@sjf29]

2:12 - No plastic bags to put all our plastic in. We're really beating around the bush, aren't we.

[@PhrazeMuzik]

Single use plastics?? You mean those bags that say made from recycled materials? Recyclable plastic bags? Consumerism at its finest, don't stop the companies manufacturing the products wrapping everything in plastic, stop the consumer from putting those plastic wrapped products into plastic bags and everything will be fine.

[@telescopicS627]

Yup, those plastic bags are made from a tiny drop of oil. Reusable bags require much more material and have to be used 10s of thousands of times to be to match thinner plastic bags from the grocery.

[@RealUlrichLeland]

​@@telescopicS627 The carbon footprint of making bags is nowhere near the leading cause of climate change, but single use plastic bags are a leading cause of plastic pollution. It's about balancing the impacts everything has. It's better to just get a good quality bag anyway, plastic bags are really uncomfortable to hold.

[@telescopicS627]

@@RealUlrichLeland Next fact: Most of the plastic in the ocean comes from Asia. No one in the West is dumping plastic in the ocean.

[@dbuc4671]

@@telescopicS627 just because _"we aren't the main contributor of the problem"_ =/= we are _not_ part of the problem at all, thus we do not have to help solve it. Also, Asian and African countries are generally poorer and less developed than western countries. Do you really think poor families focus on recycling more, buying products with less environmentally harmful packaging, remembering their reusable bags every time they go shopping etc? No, they really don't - their most _IMMEDIATE_ daily concern is simply being able to keep a roof over their heads, being clothed, food on the table, and the lights kept on, with the little income they earn. screw them minding their plastic usage and recycling rates, when they are literally on the verge of being evicted to the streets. It Is the responsibility of _wealthier_ nations to lead the cause when it comes to helping the environment.

[@telescopicS627]

@@dbuc4671 So... because Westerners are rich (relatively speaking), we should be forced to engage in mindless symbolic gestures everywhere we go? It's not just a matter of Asian countries not recycling. They deliberately dump in the ocean because they are LAZY.

[@blizzard5657]

Most of the plastic bags were biodegradable for the last six years, but they still leave plastic particles in the water way's, Australia is also recycling plastic bottles and drink containers with a 10 cents per container refund at recycle centers, 😊

[@magesalmanac6424]

Get cloth tote bags.

[@cathyrivas6496]

The problem is that only 10% of recycled products are actually recycled, the rest goes to the dump.

[@ian7033-qj9wg]

recycling is a con trick and does not cut plastic waste, the oil companies are driving the push for recycling because recycling is actually increasing the use of plastics. The only solution is not to use plastic bottles and containers.

[@jjsc4396]

Except.....in Queensland 🙄

[@Yarn_368]

​@@jjsc4396it's only in a few places

[@xzxz-uy2lm]

They ban plastic supermarket bags here I now get paper ones and also buy plastic bags

[@rafiawaheed6622]

Is it a real ban or a business to sell plastic bags like uk!

[@luminousfractal420]

Imagine if tesco were made to pay for whatever needed to be collected and recycled. How many days until they announced the real "bags for life" instead of just profiting off the issue. Its easy enough to chemically tag plastics with codes that can be traced back to the vendors/producers. We should do it.

[@mato.graphy]

The real problem is not shopping bags or straws it is the plastic water bottles and drink bottles. Just look at the stock footage in this clip, this is the same the world over. Go and get an iced coffee, they replace the straw with paper, but serve it in a plastic cup.

[@user-ou5et3fo3z]

Corporate supermarkets made 10s of millions just from plastic bags sales in Aus I think they charged 90¢ or $1 Then there was harder material bags cost much more. The old bags used no charge were biodegradable and most households used them for their kitchen bin. Sales of bin bags were down so corporations came up with a plan. The multiple use plastic bags were not biodegradable and ended up in the parks and waterways

[@user-nn4nv2tt8h]

Which plastic bags are biodegradable??

[@cynthia587]

Why not plastic bottles ???

[@joanneormerod3996]

You would think Australia would work as one together but each state has their own rules, why...?

[@noramaddy4409]

Provincial idiot government with all pollies continuously passing the buck. Mediocracy ruining the country.

[@luminousfractal420]

Divide and conquer 🤷

[@monachaalida-ul7nf]

😕

[@petahmcdee6869]

We also have FOGO bins- all food waste goes into our little kitchen bin and goes into Our green waste bin (garden waste) which is then composted - this is picked up weekly- along with a recycle bin and garbage bin which are picked up fortnightly- system works really well.

[@luminousfractal420]

They turn it into bio fuel in wales,uk. So much easier to deal with once recycling is set up properly. But we should be charging the producers for cleanup costs. The public have no choice about what they're provided. Reality doesnt allow it.

[@upulaherath7204]

I wish them all the best,such a great initiative!🎉🎉🎉

[@dianamoore2241]

The Kroger chain is to eliminate plastic bags in 2025. Meantime I have been making cloth bags to use.. It's a good thing to know how to sew.

[@einienj3281]

I have 5 fabric bags, been using them for 20+ years..

[@rhino5419]

Disposable plastic bags have been banned in France for many years and Kroger (whoever they are and in whatever backward country they are in) are only going to do it in 2025 ! !

[@justrosy5]

So, what do you line your trash cans with? Hmmmmmmmm?????????????????

[@einienj3281]

@@justrosy5 bio degradable plastic

[@mrxxbrian]

Great work, too bad more countries aren't catching up yet

[@BUSeixas11]

It’s a terrible idea. Reusable bags are far worse for the environment because they use more materials in their production

[@mrxxbrian]

You cannot compare Plastic Bags to Reusable Bags when one is a specified material while the other is a broad category. Plastic bags are reusable bags.@@BUSeixas11

[@dbuc4671]

​@@BUSeixas11 A lot of reusable bags are made partially or completely by recycled materials. Im pretty sure reusable bag manufacturing companies recognize the irony in using virgin materials. RBs obviously are not the _perfect_ solution, far from it, but _for now_ it is a definitely the dressing over a gushing wound that the planet needs.

[@wanjikugitonga8995]

Single use plastics papers were banned more than 5 years ago in Kenya. Cleaner environment.

[@thomaslam5565]

Ban plastic bottle, plastic clothes, and households product built with poor quality plastic please

[@WILD_CARD_III]

Did that in Kenya years ago... Congrats

[@markcynic808]

Kenya's great. EVs made up 8.3% of all new car sales last year. Kenya now has 350 EVs registered there out of 3.5 million cars on the road.😂😅😂

[@Novilicious]

Finally, a country with common sense and the guts to get stuff done ❤

[@littlemogocreek]

We really haven't done enough. Still plastic bottles and all sorts. Our rivers still have loads of the crap. Need alternatives and educational programmes.

[@888ssss]

i agree

[@blackjack8957]

Everybody gets the aluminium lunchbox to shop in the supermarket.

[@firozahossen8307]

In tangalle metal straws have been introduced 😮

[@0scartheCat]

I remember a friend of mine in Australia banning plastic straws from her restaurants in 1999

[@winstoningram99]

I wouldn't have gone there. Love those straws

[@telescopicS627]

Paper straws contain toxins.

[@GeoffCB]

@winstoningram99 Yes, so do turtles and other sea life that can choke on plastic straws. Glad they're banned here.

[@telescopicS627]

@@GeoffCB Almost all of the garbage in the ocean comes from Asia. Westerners don't dump garbage in the ocean. Sheesh!!!

[@winstoningram99]

@@GeoffCB No they can't. Why would a turtle eat a straw. And they end up in landfill, not the sea. They may be banned there, but I guarantee they'll be easy enough to find on the internet. I get mine from Amazon

[@aliceballagh304]

Good! Now let's get back to NOT shrink wrapping every product. Since the removal of plastic bags @ Coles and Woolies, I have doubled my disposal of plastic. I'm trying to decrease it, but all meats, chicken and other items cannot be gotten without plastics. Even Coles bulk section has plastic bags.

[@danomyte67]

They’ll survive without plastic bags

[@justrosy5]

They'll be forced to pay extra money for plastic trash can liners.

[@Tentacular]

Oh gosh... there goes Barbie's holiday plans... 😅

[@monachaalida-ul7nf]

😕

[@SirKilot]

Good we need to do exactly this in the uk

[@monachaalida-ul7nf]

😐

[@tomhenry897]

How about not dumping your garbage into the ocean

[@user-yy9hk9od9u]

Good. All nations need to do this.

[@concernednewfie]

How much of the plastic is from the fishing industry? Most. How much of the remainder is being pumped down a handful of rivers in South East asia? Only thing the grocery bag ban in Canada did to me was force me to buy 45 litre single use garbage bags.

[@markcynic808]

My, 45 litres? You must have had huge shopping bags in Canada.

[@concernednewfie]

@@markcynic808 Just huge. I would use grocery bags for small amounts of garbage and for pop tins/plastic. Since they are gone, I now put my recyclable in clear/blue 45 litre bags. Grocery bags for garbage are now 25 litre bags for the apartment garbage chute.

[@markcynic808]

@concernednewfie I throw all my garbage in one 50 litre bin each week, then put it out for collection. I never recycle. Why would I?

[@muradelvis5267]

What is the name of the news presenter?

[@an8id62]

We haven't used single use plastic bags since a few years ago. BBC News is a tad late.

[@TheAllMightyGodofCod]

What?! Only now? Jesus, Australia! You can do so much better!

[@DieterZimmermann-yf4le]

We also banned plastic straws , and began using paper straws which have now turned out to be nfg.

[@ian7033-qj9wg]

Im bemused about the straw ban because Ive never used one in my life.

[@jaanvijaanu4390]

Yes correct in each and every country it must be ban on usage of plastic because of it oceans and lakes rivers getting polluted even slit is full save people as well fishes water

[@physicistandcivilengineer77]

Great work

[@pigeonlove]

20 years after every other civilised country

[@user-iy1ij3bb4x]

Good job.

[@karenjoynes3449]

Not just the "mass" release of balloons but any number of balloons.

[@justbecauseOK]

plastic confetti is wrong, ban it yesterday

[@karenjoynes3449]

@@justbecauseOK That too!

[@Progressive_Canadian]

Several major cities in Canada started banning plastics five years ago.

[@dBakaj]

We reuse plastic shopping bags as trash bags. Banning single use shopping bags didn’t reduce our use of plastic bags. It just mean we must now purchase single use plastic trash bags instead of reusing plastic shopping bags.

[@glennr9913]

The US needs to do the same.

[@monachaalida-ul7nf]

😕

[@hello-sz7hp]

@@monachaalida-ul7nfcandles dancing face

[@brunoonoahu]

So in Californica they banned plastic straws in paper wrappers now we have paper strays in plastic wrappers. GOOD FREAKIN IDEA Californica!

[@43PR50]

Banning mass balloon releases? I hope that also include the bureau of meteorology's mass balloon radiosonde releases twice a day?

[@solschwarz5169]

👏👏👏

[@anaygautam5356]

Great job Australia! 😊

[@erikolsen5802]

Wow, about time

[@monachaalida-ul7nf]

for what

[@CricketEngland]

One word “Good”

[@kasondaleigh]

3 words actually.

[@JamestheChrist]

Excellent

[@daddyyogi5761]

Nice

[@knockedoutloaded]

Funny how the BBC allows comments on some videos and not others. Clearly they don't like being called out on their deceit

[@soundscape26]

The vast majority of them are open.

[@JohnnyAngel8]

What is the "deceit"? What's the benefit to them?

[@soundscape26]

@@paul7TM Gladly so otherwise this would become a cesspool of bigotry and insults.

[@barneymagee3285]

@@JohnnyAngel8 pursuit of the agenda , you cannot be that dumb.

[@soundscape26]

​@@paul7TM Nope, just giving my opinion. I have enough experience with non-moderated spaces to know how things end up.

[@moniquedalla863]

Well this is new to me? And I live in Australia 🇦🇺 😂🤔

[@justinhamilton7238]

Umm... They are talking Tasmania. That's Australia.

[@moniquedalla863]

@@justinhamilton7238 still didn’t hear this in Sydney main media news

[@Truthseeker371]

Take your own shopping bags and catdboard boxes. Recycle them. Or, stop earing too much.

[@boris8787]

Australia is finished - wish I could escape to the sane town of Chillingbourne.

[@Cocky.Rooster]

Good on ya! World needs to follow suit.

[@Kingdomoflearning171]

Good job

[@MiSt3300]

Good job Australia! It's high time we did the same in Poland and EU

[@MrSupernova111]

Good!

[@littlemogocreek]

Finally. We can do WAY more.

[@nine2five247]

Aint it strange how they turned off the comments on the BBC's latest Andrew Tate's video.

[@MrOptimusheath]

cotton buds? HUH? lol?

[@monachaalida-ul7nf]

??

[@JamesSmith-qs4hx]

Ban The ADL

[@barneymagee3285]

Ban everyone I disagree with…

[@jeanclaudejunior]

Will you just shut up, Hitler?

[@jeanclaudejunior]

I wish you'd be banned from KZbin and from entering Germany, ya sick Nazi. Those comments like that shows how you're a complete Nazi and a moron

[@jeanclaudejunior]

@JamesSmith-qs4hx "Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world." - Nelson Mandela Sadly you have none, because you got your goddamn head stuck in the goddamn Bible and those godforsaken conspiracies and lies especially anti-Semitic ones. Give up your goddamn godforsaken religion or be forced to watch me set the goddamn Bible on fire with either a lighter, a flamethrower or even a Molotov Cocktail

[@jeanclaudejunior]

@JamesSmith-qs4hx listen closely, you anti-Semitic Scum. If I ever see you writing such Theocrap about everything, I will consider calling the police on you.

[@Soulkeeper-tv8re]

Visy recycling company is killing it supported by government benefits

[@xndthunder735]

Ya as it is said.australia has banned single use plastics but the problem is ..iam saying not only in australia as well as every nations ...the problem is evry nation could bann the plastics but could not able to dispose it as being harmfull .because evry nation should focus on the dispoal not in the bann.some countries convertibg these plastics to ‘ interlocks' using sand + plastics so govt should focus on that how to dispose it has non-harmfull base than bann.

[@user-ou5et3fo3z]

Yeah then the corporate supermarkets started selling multiple use plastic bags and ending up in parks and waterways. My local council tried desperately to address this issue with state government and the corporate supermarkets and were ignored. Biggest scam Now we have paper bags being sold which contain traces of plastic and other materials marketed as recycled paper rubbish nonsense.

[@magesalmanac6424]

So get cloth tote bags.

[@luminousfractal420]

The reusable bags that the handles tear off. Bag for life that lasts 3months. And is also plastic. Ive seen coconut bags and other fiber bags around now but they're too expensive for many. If a supermarket can provide plastic bags for free it can provide natural fiber bags for next to nothing. Theyre just profiting off it. How about they make it law that all profits recieved from shopping bag sales dont go to the supermarkets, but towards cleanup costs.

[@luminousfractal420]

​@@magesalmanac6424all good if you can afford em. Its 10p for plastic 5 quid for reusable plastic, 7quid for natural. They're profiting off it. They shouldnt be allowed to.

[@ian7033-qj9wg]

@@luminousfractal420 Ive got fabric bags we been using for at least 5 years.

[@blank.9301]

@@ian7033-qj9wgexactly

[@workingtoseethelight8244]

That doesn't include condoms though does it?

[@monachaalida-ul7nf]

😕

[@darlenetate9553]

Great!!!

[@abhijithvm3166]

Its a great work Australia because most of the developed and developing countries are not give much importance to this type of initiative. The plastic wastes are increasing in day by day so we want to set some restriction for using plastic in future and set high punishment for making unrecyclable plastic. The reduction of plastic we do something like make a better substitute for plastic or make better recyclable plants the both are give better result. We not give much importance to this type of initiative or delaying tacking this type of initiative we loosing our environment.

[@jz2450]

Hats off to Australia. I hope more countries could do the same.

[@winstoningram99]

I like the plastics. They're handy. Especially the straws

[@mrxxbrian]

Who ever argued that plastics were NOT convenient?? Or are you just trying to instigate the situation?@@winstoningram99

[@user-ug5zv3qc6w]

It’s a con. Throughout the world outrage regarding plastics, not once has any major outcry been attributed to plastic toys. Children toys. Go walk into any billions of shops that has a toy shop and ask the assistance as I have done on occasion, what’s happening to the battle of plastics in toys. You will get a NOTHING response. It’s a con!

[@reinforced9084]

@@user-ug5zv3qc6w are you dumb or something? Toys aren’t single use.. in fact they’re used for years.

[@blank.9301]

@@user-ug5zv3qc6wremember toys were made from timber. There should be every reason to bring them back

[@official_ashhh]

Pollution is bad. Animal life is important

[@cheryl5994]

WHAT’S TAKEN OUR COUNTRIES SO LONG?

[@nehakulkarni5009]

Cloth bags are better

[@justrosy5]

You gonna line your trash cans with those, lol?!

[@nehakulkarni5009]

@@justrosy5 You have a good point, but I was referring to carrying your groceries home in cloth bags not plastic ..Not everyone would be able to survive without plastic bags...If you have a garden , you can dispose of food waste by digging or placing it into a compost bin...Someone living in a flat would not be able to do such things..In short, society has also restricted and made many lazy

[@finnjacobsen684]

Why are Australians throwing their plastic waste into the ocean?

[@monachaalida-ul7nf]

oh ya

[@user-ug5zv3qc6w]

It’s a con. Throughout the world outrage regarding plastics, not once has any major outcry been attributed to plastic toys. Children toys. Go walk into any billions of shops that has a toy shop and ask the assistance as I have done on occasion, what’s happening to the battle of plastics in toys. You will get a NOTHING response. It’s a con!

[@MrSzwarz]

Nothing new in developed European coutries. In Swizterland dover 5 years with no plastic bags : )

[@ENScottish]

Ban plastic surgery too.

[@kantsagurung175]

👏👍💐

[@noramaddy4409]

The recycling centres are too few, out of town and not on public transport routes. Why are supermarkets not responsible for providing returnable bottle collection or refraining from selling the products?10 cent a bottle is too little and needs to be raised to $1. minimum. Too little is being done to reduce plastic packaging and what a pathetic display of we care not implementing an Australian-wide plastic use reduction in all states.

[@petefluffy7420]

The "recycling system" for bottles was seemingly designed to be difficult.

[@rhino5419]

plastic shopping bags have been banned in france for years. Disôsable plastic plates cups and cutlery have been banned along with q tip sticks and straws. This is nothing new to us but when Australia does it they become forerunners!

[@justrosy5]

And yet, you have to line your trash cans with something.........

[@purplemicrodot58]

OK I can handle missing out on some plastics but Q-Tips is just too far.

[@MummaNeighbear]

@@purplemicrodot58we just have rolled paper, or sugarcane, bamboo pulps etc used in the place of plastic versions… can still buy a q tip as long as it complies to the non plastic laws 😊

[@pigeonlove]

​@@justrosy5ever heard of biodegradable "plastic". It does the same job but doesn't make 1000 year old microplastics.

[@SL-zz7mg]

@@pigeonlovewhere does it go to biodegrade?

[@jeanclaudejunior]

Good

[@purplemicrodot58]

Colorado just implemented this. It took about 6 months to remember to bring my bags in to the grocery. Now it's just part of shopping. Only the laziest and lowest of people complain.

[@wc8246]

​@@tastypymp1287truth hurts

[@daftirishmarej1827]

Or if you buy too much for your bag and need another one (personal experience!)

[@telescopicS627]

U have to use those reusable bags 10,000 times to match the efficiency of disposable plastic bags. Sadly u r fooling yourself thinking this matters.

[@daftirishmarej1827]

@@telescopicS627 I genuinely think this helps by making us more aware about plastic. There is no magic cure, but if we all do our bit, who knows, it may help the planet a bit

[@purplemicrodot58]

@@telescopicS627 That's F'n stupid. After 3 uses a reusable bag CRUSHES the efficiency of a disposable bag. One is in a landfill even IF used as a trashcan liner while the other is ready to carry DOZENS more loads of groceries at worst. Every step in the right direction is progress and matters. Pull that disposable bag off your head and breathe some F'n oxygen.

[@SpencerjonesBoxing]

Come to Thailand 🇹🇭 you’ll be shocked

[@jackpclem]

Hasn't India introduced this in 2022?

[@ian7033-qj9wg]

lol, no.

[@Im_who_made_you_life]

😁

[@julia2k8]

They did it for politics not to protect the environment

[@MR-xi2mi]

That's right

[@rhino5419]

Who cares as long as they do it, even if they are late to the game compared to some european countries.

[@soundscape26]

The politics of the plastic bag?

[@justrosy5]

Exactly. Now the trash can liner industry over there will make even more money!

[@telescopicS627]

@@soundscape26 It's a useless gesture to make left-wingers feel like they are helping, while disregarding the inconvenience to others, just like face mask mandates.

[@dw4525]

Just burn it

[@user-rc8gc4gl6b]

I will a folder me

[@MdShahid-lw3we]

PLASTIC USAGES SHOULD BE STOPPED AS WELL AS PRODUCTION OF PLASTIC SHOULD BE BANNED... WHO ARE AGREE WITH ME?

[@grafito4438]

New Zealand did this a year ago. Well done Australia!

[@tedcrilly46]

contrarians struggling in the comments, yet still making a noble effort.

[@sunyoon3410]

Stupid decision. More discomfort.

[@monachaalida-ul7nf]

😁

[@turquoiseturquoiseturquois1174]

Better than the discomfort from the near end of world

[@troy6882]

Unfortunately they also ban recycling plastic and make you pay for paper bags that lost.

[@parthadaschowdhury]

Historic UK rocket mission ends in failure. 😂😂😂 An attempt to launch the first rocket into orbit from UK soil ended in failure with scientists reporting an "anomaly" as it neared its goal.

[@dandlion7748]

Hope it goes as well as the ..forever chemical laden cancerous paper straws.

[@JamestheChrist]

It's not fair to make future generations live in the dumpster world we created.

[@turquoiseturquoiseturquois1174]

Agreed. It is very eedee light unfair

[@hartleyhare99]

Yawn😮😅

[@JimmyTimmy-wh8dz]

Won't ban those plastic masks though right

[@StressRUs]

All of the food in the vid grocery store was wrapped in single use plastic. Just try here in the US to find a butcher willing/able to wrap meat/fish in paper, let alone take-out, always in disgusting styrofoam. Sad. But, then, we'll soon be gone and the earth can regenerate and flourish once more. The sooner the better.

[@hiIamalina]

People should try to stop using plastic bags themselves, but sadly the government has to apply force

[@user-ou5et3fo3z]

Yeah save the planet rubbish nonsense Biggest scam money making Stop using plastic bags? Most of the items in supermarkets are plastic packaging

[@telescopicS627]

They should tell China and Vietnam to stop dumping in the ocean as they are the main culprits. No one in the West dumps garbage in the ocean. U folks r fooling yourselves if u think reusable bags make a difference.

[@luminousfractal420]

Ok you cant force people to buy what they cant afford. And given the lifespan of the products the bags for life are very much more expensive. No. Let them sell their plastic bags. But biotag the bags chemically at the factory and charge any company that uses them for cleanup expenses. That way the consumer isnt punished, if they want customers they will provide a good alternative without trying to profit from environmental damage. They can easily afford to do it but we must make it the cheaper option to go green.

[@martinoberrauch2842]

Ich habe vertsanden warum Australien von London ausgetreten ist

[@DocToxicTF2]

GJ Australia