The great plastic bag scam which led to the plastic bag ban
As we all know today, the vast majority of supermarkets and stores in the UK are at pains to give you new plastic bags without charging for the privilege. Due to recycling regulations and recycling laws we have seen billions upon billions of plastic bags recycled and reused over and over again over the last few years but many people are unaware as to why this particular phenomenon took off and the reason why we recycle so many bags today.
Legend has it that a Canadian study into marine birds and mammals found that more than 100,000 marine mammals and birds were killed by discarded fishing nets between 1981 and 1984. This obviously caused great concern and prompted the release of the Marine Pollution Bulletin 18(6B) which was later republished in Australia with substantial errors.
It is rumoured that the report mentioned plastic bags as the potential reason for these 100,000 deaths and as a consequence governments around the world began to ban plastic bags, introduce bag taxes and ultimately we saw the birth of the recycling age. This for many people is the first real recycling program which they came across and one which has led to others and the recycling trends and fashions of the day.
While the error may well have been coincidental and innocent the reproduction of the original report in Australia has literally, in some ways, saved the environment and continues to do so.