Whilst holidaying recently in Tasmania I was confronted with the conundrum of whether or not to pay 15 cents per plastic bag for my purchases.
Unfortunately no such decision is required on the mainland.
Tasmanians have taken a united stand against the toxic plastic bag. Throughout the state, people bring their own shopping bags, proving the deterrent effect of the 15c per bag surcharge.
The toxic plastic bag has been around for about 30 years; worldwide their number now exceeds one trillion used and discarded every year.
Australia contributes 3.92 billion plastic bags a year to the problem. That’s 10 million plus new bags every day.
Plastic is the ultimate environmental ‘atomic bomb’ that easily escapes into the air and ultimately finds its way into our water systems and land fill, after clogging everything under the sun on the way.
These high density propylene bags are well known killers of marine mammals and seabirds.
After animals die and decay, using its 1000 year life span, the plastic is free to repeat the deadly cycle, again and again.
My 2016 resolution quickly became to take my own shopping bags to the local supermarket.
However, if forgotten, there’s always a trolley to take your purchases to the car.
I hope you’ll join me.
It’s not so difficult – I quote Anne Frank ‘How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world’.
K. Sharples, Tweed Heads
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
