A BAN on plastics is in the bag after Greater Hume Shire council backed a Jindera supermarket’s bold environmental campaign.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
IGA proprietor Bob Matthews, who runs the only supermarket in Jindera, has won council’s support to phase out plastic bags.
Mr Matthews said council’s backing adds legitimacy to his plan, helping to allay cynicism his ecological motivations mask a cash-grab.
“One problem with eliminating plastic bags is people use plastic bags in kitchens and they assume we’re trying to force them to buy expensive tidy bags,” Mr Matthews said.
“To allay any skepticism, we plan to sell small bundles of plastic bags for 10¢ or so, for people to use in the kitchen, and we will give away green bags away for a month.”
Mr Matthews said the quality of plastic bags has been deteriorating, forcing attendants to “double-bag”, which he described as “one of the tragedies of the supermarket world”.
Mr Matthews will shelve his plan unless the majority of Jindera residents support a poll he is preparing to conduct.
Greater Hume Shire mayor Heather Wilton said councillors committed to promoting residents to flick their plastic bag habit in its official literature and on the website.