Stock image.
Camera IconStock image. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

City of Canning joins bid to ban plastic bags

Emma GearyCanning Gazette

At last week’s ordinary council meeting, Deputy Mayor Lindsay Holland called on councillors to support the WA Local Government Association initiative to end the use of plastic bags across the state.

Cr Holland said plastic bags had become a contentious issue, with thousands ending up in waterways, parks and streets.

“The damage they do to wildlife is well known,” he said.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

“Plastic bags have been |directly responsible for the deaths of fish, birds and landbased animals through ingestion and entanglement causing restriction of mobility.”

He said the ban on single use plastic bags had worked well in South Australia, the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory.

“Some of the City’s larger commercial enterprises have already banned the use of plastic bags, such as Bunnings,” he said.

A City report said Australians used more than four billion plastic bags annually (10 million every day) and it was estimated to cost governments, businesses and community groups more than $4 million per annum to clean up littered plastic shopping bags.

“Plastic pollution and in particular the use of single-use plastic bags is an issue in the City of Canning as they pose a threat to the riverine ecology of the Canning River – single use plastic bags have the potential to blow or be washed into the river system,” it said.

MORE: Rottnest Island quokkas up for adoption

MORE: High Wycombe man (23) charged over shining laser pointer at police helicopter

MORE: Kinross couple thankful for 50 years in Australia