CITY of Vincent could again pursue a plastic bag ban after a failed attempt in 2012 under former Mayor Alannah MacTiernan.
City of Joondalup Mayor Troy Pickard in March asked for a report on the possibility of a local law that would ban retailers from providing single-use plastic shopping bags to customers, which Premier Mark McGowan supported.
The move came after City of Fremantle attempted a ban in 2013 and 2015 and Town of East Fremantle councillors voted to go ahead with drafting a local law banning single-use plastic bags.
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READ NOWVincent Mayor Emma Cole said she would bring the issue back to the table at a future council meeting.
“Given this indication of support from the Premier, I think the time is now right for Vincent to seriously consider joining other councils in introducing a ban on single-use, non-biodegradable plastic bags,” she said.
“And I will bring the issue to council for consideration, along with community input, as soon as there is confirmation on the State Government’s position.”
Ms Cole said support from the State Government on the issue was critical.
“Without the support , local government has struggled to bring about this change in the past,” she said.
“Fremantle’s Plastic Bag Local Law was disallowed in the Legislative Council of the WA Parliament in 2013 and again in 2015.
“In 2012, council approved in-principle a ban on single-use plastic bags in shops throughout Vincent, following Fremantle’s first attempt to do the same.
“However, as a result of Fremantle’s local law being disallowed, it wasn’t pursued further at that time”
She said single-use plastic bags have been included in the City’s plastics recycling since July 2014.
Curtin University sustainability professor Peter Newman said the community needed to “get rid of plastic”.
“Plastic bags are clogging up our oceans and harming fish, turtles, sharks and everything that moves in the ocean,” he said.
Single-use plastic bag bans already exist in South Australia, the ACT and the NT.