Moves towards banning single-use plastic bags to begin 'very, very soon' - PM

June 6, 2018

Cabinet is waiting from advice from before they consider banning the bags.

Plans to introduce a ban on single-use plastic bags could be on the Governments cards "very, very soon", Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today. 

Yesterday, Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage told RadioLIVE she intended to make "some announcements" in the next few months around a ban, but could not say when the ban would come into force. 

She said it would be likely done through regulation rather than new legislation. 

Today, Ms Ardern said they were waiting for advice from the Ministry for the Environment, so Cabinet can consider the issue, "but I'm very eager to see that quickly".

"I'm literally just waiting for the team to have that advice from Ministry for the Environment so we can consider it together and move forward with the plan," she said.  

"It shouldn't take particularly long, I've certainly shared my expectation with the Minister that I hope to see it very, very soon."

She said there were a range of alternatives to single-use plastic bags that should be considered. 

"There's obviously a huge issue that the globe is dealing with, that New Zealand needs to too."

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