![\"When](\"https:\/\/wp-assets.futurism.com\/2018\/12\/australian-ban-kept-billions-of-plastic-bags-300x200.jpg\")
<\/div>Polystyrene Man<\/h2>
There’s mounting pressure on the world to grapple with its plastic addiction. Landfills and oceans alike are choking on waste plastic<\/a>, which is made from crude oil and can take centuries to decompose.<\/p> New evidence, though, suggests that small changes in plastic policy can make large changes in aggregate. When Australia’s two largest supermarket chains banned plastic bags three months ago, the Guardian <\/em>reports<\/a>, it led to an 80 percent reduction in the country’s overall consumption of plastic bags.<\/p> There was a public outcry<\/a> in Australia when retailers Coles and Woolworths pledged to ban plastic bags this past summer. Initially, things were tough: Woolworth’s blamed the move<\/a> for falling sales, and Coles briefly reversed<\/a> the rule before settling on a small fee for plastic bags.<\/p> But just a few months later, according to Australia’s National Retail Association, the bag prohibition has made a significant environmental difference. The group estimates that it’s kept some 1.5 billion bags out of the environment.<\/p> In October, the European Union voted to completely ban single-use plastics<\/a> by 2021 — though its member states still need to approve the law. In the meantime, Coles’ and Woolworths’ move shows that small changes by retailers can also help close the plastic gap.<\/p> “Everyone delivering things in a package need to take responsibility for what they deliver it in,” National Retail Association spokesperson David Stout told the Guardian<\/em>. “I think there’s going to be a lot more pressure on all of us to be more aware of what we consume.”<\/p> READ MORE: <\/strong>Supermarket ban sees ‘80% drop’ in plastic bag consumption nationwide<\/a> [The Guardian<\/i>]<\/p><\/div> More on plastic bag bans: Kenya Becomes Latest Country to Ban Plastic Bags<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/div> The post An Australian Ban Kept Billions of Plastic Bags From Polluting<\/a> appeared first on Futurism<\/a>.<\/p> Read the original: Polystyrene Man There\u2019s mounting pressure on the world to grapple with its plastic addiction. Landfills and oceans alike are choking on waste plastic , which is made from crude oil and can take centuries to decompose Continue reading The Plastics<\/h2>
Out of the Bag<\/h2>
An Australian Ban Kept Billions of Plastic Bags From Polluting<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"