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Latrobe City Council cuts plastic bag use by one third

A ten week promotion by Latrobe City Council and its Litter Prevention Taskforce has helped reduce the use of supermarket plastic bags across the municipality. Major supermarkets in this Victorian regional city are reporting a massive reduction in their purchases of plastic bags, with some claiming plastic bag use has decreased by one third over the past six months.

The campaign provided a $100 reward for one supermarket shopper for using their own reusable bags instead of plastic alternatives every week for ten weeks at random stores across the municipality. Each week a shopper selected at random seen passing through a supermarket turnstile with reusable bags was approached and offered the $100 prize, conditional to their photograph appearing for promotional purposes.

Chair of the Latrobe Litter Prevention Taskforce, Councillor Graeme Middlemiss, said the photograph of the rewarded environmentally friendly shopper with members of the Litter Prevention Taskforce was published in the local newspaper, together with tips on reducing reliance on plastic bags and becoming a more environmentally friendly shopper.

“The campaign raised the awareness of plastic bag waste in consumers’ minds, prodding their consciences as responsible shoppers, reinforcing the need to reduce and recycle and rewarding behavioural change,” Councillor Middlemiss said. “Timing was extremely important, as supermarkets needed to keep good stocks of plastic bag alternatives on the shelves for customers to purchase for the campaign to work.

“There were shortages of reusable bag alternatives for a week or so during the early part of the campaign, but stores were quick to order in large stocks of reusable bags and a multiplying effect in changing consumer habits soon became very noticeable. This initiative has fostered excellent relationships between local supermarkets, Council, and local environmental agencies, while also bringing the public onside in helping change their attitudes to plastic bag consumption.”

The local newspaper participated in the campaign as a sponsor, so it was a real cooperative effort.

Latrobe City’s Manager Waste Services, Mike McCaughan, said another key part of the promotion was the distribution of 1,000 free reusable bags to shoppers.

“We estimate that half a million plastic bags were consumed by supermarket shoppers in Latrobe City every week before the campaign,” Mike McCaughan said. “Six months later following our own and local supermarket initiatives, we believe we’ve reduced consumption by more than eight million plastic bags a year.”

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