May 7, 2003
By Tshepiso Mogotsi
SHOPPERS will no longer have their goods packed into free 17-micron plastic bags from Friday, 9 May, when new government regulations prohibiting such plastic bags come into effect.
It is the culmination of a two-year process. Government has been involved in a series of talks with business leaders as well as trade unions regarding the proposal to ban-the-bags. The new 30-micron government-approved bags that will be sold at checkouts from Friday, said Patrick Craven, spokesperson of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), was a compromise decision between the parties. The original proposal by government was that the plastic bags be 80 microns thick. It was withdrawn after business and labour convinced government that the costs of producing such bags would be prohibitive.
Government says current jobs will be retained in the plastic manufacturing and retail industries, and new jobs will be created through an expanded collection and recycling industries.
The reason given for the new regulations is to address the problem of the dumping of non-reusable bags, which are not collected for recycling because the thin plastic has little value.
The new plastic bags are measured by litres. The government has stipulated that the small 10-litre plastic bags should not exceed 25 cents at retailers; medium 12-litres, not above 31 cents, and the large 24-litre bags should be sold at 49 cents or less.
According to the Department of Environmental and Tourism, the new stronger bags will be re-used repeatedly by customers at any retail store if their choice.
Can you bring your own?
Glen Miller of Pick 'n Pay's customer care centre, said customers can indeed bring their own carrier bags. However, if they prefer, Pick 'n Pay is also offering consumers a "green bag". It is made of non-woven polypropylene and according to Pick n Pay, is environment-friendly. This item is already available to shoppers at the checkouts for R5.
Spar is also selling eco-bags made of canvas at R2.99 for a small bag, as well as big ones at R7.99 each.
Two cents from each bag sold goes to the government to be used for cleaning up those flimsy, 17-micron remnants of the "South Africa national flower" and for education on environmental issues.
According to environmental affairs department, any manufacturer, trader or commercial distributor not complying with the new regulations is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding R100 000 or to imprisonment not exceeding 10 years. The regulations also provide for a fine not exceeding three times the commercial value of anything found inside the illegal plastic bag.
Anyone convicted of an offence in terms of new regulations, and who after such conviction persist in the act, which constituted such offence, would be guilty of "a continuing offence" and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding R250 per day or to imprisonment for a period not exceeding 20 days.
