Plastic bag ban
Single-use plastic shopping bags are banned in New Zealand. Businesses cannot provide you with single-use plastic shopping bags. The ban reduces the amount of plastic in our environment.
Single-use plastic shopping bags are banned in New Zealand. Businesses cannot provide you with single-use plastic shopping bags. The ban reduces the amount of plastic in our environment.
The ban applies to all new single-use plastic shopping bags with handles that are made of plastic up to 70 microns in thickness.
This includes:
It includes bags made of degradable plastic. This is regardless of whether the plastic material is made from fossil-fuel or biological sources such as plants.
This includes biodegradable, compostable and oxy-degradable plastics bags. These are sometimes marketed as 'not plastic' and may have these icons:
The following bags are not included in the ban. (Unless they have handles for the dual use of carrying sold goods.)
Also plastic packaging is not included in the ban.
If a business gives you a single-use plastic shopping bag we suggest you refuse the bag and explain that they are now banned. If the business continues to provide single-use plastic shopping bags you can report this to the Ministry for the Environment.
Fill out this form to report a business's alleged breach of the ban
Alternatives to single-use plastic shopping bags include:
You can bring your own bags, including home-made bags (eg, flax kete), and/or backpack or wheeled trolley bag.
If you don't have a bag most major retailers sell reusable bags at a small cost or have boxes you can re-use.