This should be banned too..
thekeyworldwide.com/
As for plastic bags, everyone has an opinion, mine is that they aren't the biggest problem by a long shot. They're an engineering marvel, strong, light & made with just a drop of plastic. Mine get groceries home, then get used again as a bin liner, then go to landfill. I'm fairly comfortable with that.
I think bait bags being biodegradable is a no-brainer.
From what I understand, the ecolean packs are recyclable, but have no idea if we have the facilities in W.A. to do this.
iirc, there was a big plastics recycling factory in Perth a couple of years ago that went up in flames, dunno if it is running again.
As for the new disintegrating shopping bags - we did this experiment back in the early '90's when the Foodlands chain introduced them.
I tied a bunch of the old style standard plastic shopping bags, and a similar number of the new disintegrating bags to the fence behind our shop in Bindoon.
4 months after the old style bags had fallen to bits - the new "disintegrating" bags were still intact.
Hope the 2015 version works better!
stephen
Select to expand quotejbshack said..
Some would say plastic is not an issue in Australia. Many of you would have seen footage of birds dead with there stomachs full of plastic. Whales are now dyeing from basically inhaling plastic.
...
Really?? So what color are they now? 
www.dpaw.wa.gov.au/management/marine/marine-parks-wa/398-marine-park-protectors?showall=&start=2
www.fishingworld.com.au/news/fish-facts-the-problem-with-plastic
Yeah your right Pweedle plastics are not an issue for our oceans. 
Once again head in the sand on environmental issues i see
plastic bags decompose in the sun? Some plastic bags are fully biodegradable in the sun. This is a minority as they cost more
The more standard plastic bag "decomposes" in that they end up as ever smaller pieces of plastic. The effect of this is quite scary, and we really don't know yet precisely what will happen. One effect seems to be that the surface area increases (a matter of geometry), and the polyethylene is a perfect substrate for pesticides, PCBs etc to adhere to.
These microscopic pieces of toxin laden plastic are the perfect size to be taken up by all the marine creatures at the bottom of the food chain.
I could not think of a better way to ensure that agents which accumulate up the food chain will end up in us (important thought for those who do not see the environmental issues as being relevant to their own lives)
Select to expand quotejbshack said..
Yeah your right Pweedle plastics are not an issue for our oceans.
Once again head in the sand on environmental issues i see
BJ, I do more for the environment than you will ever accomplish swilling around the ocean in your gas guzzling tubs.
That's one point which is certain. 
Select to expand quotepweedas said..jbshack said..
Yeah your right Pweedle plastics are not an issue for our oceans.
Once again head in the sand on environmental issues i see
BJ, I do more for the environment than you will ever accomplish swilling around the ocean in your gas guzzling tubs.
That's one point which is certain.
pweedas = oxygen thief 
Select to expand quotepweedas said..
okey dokey. [on topic]
I was down on the fishing jetty at Coogee yesterday afternoon and the breeze was blowing a bit.
Every few minutes another empty plastic bait bag or carry bag blew off into the water.
I see them often when I'm snorkeling over the reefs. I used to stuff them down my bathers to get them out of the system.
Some of them were quite stinky so I don't bother any more. They were stinky before I shoved them down my bathers. 
Banning shopping bags at supermarkets will have a very low impact on this. They will simply buy plastic bags and still take them fishing, and bait bags will still be plastic.
That sort of disrespect to the environment makes me angry - especially when it's in your or my local area.
I don't care if I upset people now - I tell them politely "hey mate - your bag is about to blow into the water!"
Or it's I see it blowing I'll pick it up and go and give it to them.... or put it in the bin.
Or if it's too late I'll give them a little bit of a lecture.... I've still got all my teeth - actually all but one!
^^^^^ You might be correct!
From how your profile avitar looks - pweedy you look like a bruiser!
Even if you're not - try and educate the dumb and ignorant culprits ....
Or lobby your local council for bins and rubbish collection where they fish?
Select to expand quoteHausey said..
^^^^^ You might be correct!
From how your profile avitar looks - pweedy you look like a bruiser!
Even if you're not - try and educate the dumb and ignorant culprits ....
Or lobby your local council for bins and rubbish collection where they fish?
Yes, well that's another matter which I seem to be powerless to change.
My local council,. in their great wisdom, removed rubbish bins from the beach area because they were too hard for the contractor to empty.
They were replaced by a few signs asking people to take their rubbish with them,.. Yeah right,.. that'll work.
The bins are up on the hill well away from the beach and it's far too hot a walk for delicate metropolitan feet to walk up and dump their rubbish in the bins.
Consequently, most of it is left on the beach, except for the bottles of course, which are pushed under the sand because it's an offence to drink on the beach so you wouldn't want your empties in plain sight would you?
After a long weekend, the whole beach area looks like a rubbish dump.
I suppose to their credit, the council does do a beach sweep first thing the next morning and sweeps up whatever hasn't blown into the water with the strong offshore winds overnight. 
Oh well, at least the empty bottles didn't blow away.
Select to expand quotepweedas said..Hausey said..
^^^^^ You might be correct!
From how your profile avitar looks - pweedy you look like a bruiser!
Even if you're not - try and educate the dumb and ignorant culprits ....
Or lobby your local council for bins and rubbish collection where they fish?
Yes, well that's another matter which I seem to be powerless to change.
My local council,. in their great wisdom, removed rubbish bins from the beach area because they were too hard for the contractor to empty.
They were replaced by a few signs asking people to take their rubbish with them,.. Yeah right,.. that'll work.
The bins are up on the hill well away from the beach and it's far too hot a walk for delicate metropolitan feet to walk up and dump their rubbish in the bins.
Consequently, most of it is left on the beach, except for the bottles of course, which are pushed under the sand because it's an offence to drink on the beach so you wouldn't want your empties in plain sight would you?
After a long weekend, the whole beach area looks like a rubbish dump.
I suppose to their credit, the council does do a beach sweep first thing the next morning and sweeps up whatever hasn't blown into the water with the strong offshore winds overnight.
Oh well, at least the empty bottles didn't blow away.
It's a massive problem hey! Here we are in a "rich first world country", most of the population would be educated in the problem - yet some people still think that they can't be bothered taking their rubbish with them or walking to the nearest bin!
I don't know what the solution would be apart from more education, more signage etc.
Sometimes I'd like to stuff some plastic rubbish into the perpetrators mouth and let them choke in their rubbish!
