Councils’ move to ban plastic bags, cutlery slammed

LOCAL councils are moving to ban plastic bags, balloons, coffee cups, straws and cutlery on environmental grounds. Is your council one of them?

LOCAL councils are moving to ban balloons, plastic bags, coffee cups, straws and cutlery in what’s been dubbed “inane social ­engineering”.

Frustrated by perceived inaction at state level, more councils are taking unilateral action in an all-out assault on single-use plastic items on environmental grounds.

Last week, the City of Monash backed a plan to eliminate the use of balloons, plastic bags, straws and packaging “for all business areas including all events and activities” conducted on council-controlled land and roads.

Darebin voted for a similar motion, but extended it to plastic knives, forks, glasses and food boxes with a ban to apply by 31 December.

More: Victorians face plastic bags ban

Darebin will also write to local supermarkets like Coles and Woolworths requesting that they follow Aldi by not supplying plastic bags to shoppers.

Darebin councillor Lina Messina told the Herald Sun that councils needed to take a leadership role as state authorities were stalling on ­issues like banning plastic bags.

Ms Lina Messina says councils need to take a leadership role. Picture: Mark Wilson

“It’s about us moving forward and stop being prehistoric here in Australia,” she said.

“We need to act on this, I mean France is acting on this and they’re removing (plastic bags) from 2020.”

Ms Messina didn’t believe that extending the ban to plastic knives, forks and cups was going too far.

“You can still buy bio­degradable knives and forks and plates, they don’t have to be plastic,” she said.

“Of course, there might be some with disabilities and they might need to have a straw, and I understand that.”

Some believe the councils’ plans are “inane social ­engineering”.

But Andrew Bushnell, from free market think tank the Institute of Public Affairs, said that councils were being ridiculous.

“Extending this ban to sporting and community organisations will just increase the costs of participation, discouraging people from getting involved in their local communities,” he said.

“Rather than spending their days seeking out opportunities for virtue signalling, councillors ought to turn their attention to the mums, dads, and kids needlessly affected by inane social engineering.”

Ms Messina said she also wanted Darebin to launch an education campaign with the input of schoolchildren.

“I’m not expecting many people to bring their own knives and forks to council events, but ... we need to be more educated, more alert and more savvy — it’s 2017, it’s not 1980,” she said.

On Thursday, State Parliament’s environment and planning committee is due to report on proposed legislation that would restrict the supply and sale of plastic bags in Victoria.

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@JMasanauskas