[Voice over]
Did you know close to 1 billion single-use lightweight plastic shopping bags are used in Queensland each year.
That's a lot of bags!
Up to 16 million of these bags end up as litter.
That's about 96 tonnes just in Queensland alone, the equivalent in weight of about 96 average small cars.
That's a lot of litter!
For retailers and consumers, plastic shopping bags are convenient.
But plastic bags have a big impact on our environment and pose a significant threat to our marine wildlife, which can mistake bags for floating jellyfish.
Millions of dollars are spent each year in litter cleanup costs.
Experts rate plastic bags as one of the top marine debris threats to wildlife.
Marine wildlife can swallow or become entangled in bags causing injury or death.
Research found that 90 percent of all seabird species and 30 percent of all sea turtles had ingested plastic debris.
And biodegradable bags are just as harmful.
The harmful impact of plastic pollution is a concern to Queenslanders.
During the public consultation on the lightweight plastic shopping bag ban, the government received more than 26,000 submissions!
Over 96 percent of Queenslanders supported implementation of the ban.
63 percent of Queenslanders supported banning biodegradable plastic shopping bags.
And we know from bans in other Australian states and territories, that customers are ready and willing to make the change to reusable bags.
What is the government doing?
As part of its plastic pollution reduction plan, the government is introducing a ban on the supply of single-use lightweight plastic shopping bags.
Including biodegradable bags from the 1st of July 2018.
Some major supermarkets have already committed to stop supplying lightweight plastic shopping bags.
Key points.
The ban will begin on the 1st of July 2018.
From this date, retailers will not be allowed to supply lightweight plastic shopping bags to customers.
The ban will only apply to lightweight single-use plastic shopping bags.
Barrier bags, dog poo bags and bin liners will not be banned.