The state government of Victoria will be first in Australia to charge for every plastic grocery bag used. Environment Minister John Thwaites said a similar approach banning free bags at some stores, and charging 10 cents for the plastic, had reduced bag consumption by 99 percent.
"Non-biodegradable plastic bags kill substantial numbers of whales, seals, turtles and other marine wildlife," Mr Thwaites said. (Read further about the success of such a project elsewhere)…
Victoria follows in the footsteps of the Republic of Ireland, which introduced on March 4, 2002, a 15-cent levy on every plastic shopping bag. The tax caused people to reduce their dependence on plastic bags by 95 percent and switch to reusable bags. Furthermore, the money gathered by the levy was used to raise money for environmental initiatives.