Mayor pledges support for plastic bag levy
6 July 2017
A compulsory levy on plastic bags has won support from Waipa District Council.
Mayor Jim Mylchreest has pledged his Council's support for a proposed national levy on single-use plastic bags at point of sale.
Wellington Mayor Justin Lester has called for the levy on plastic bags to try to reduce use and the negative effects of plastic bags on the environment. The call has already won support from more than half the mayors in New Zealand.
Mylchreest says it is particularly timely for Council to support this initiative as it puts its own plans in place for the future of waste management in the district.
We are currently running a consultation on our own waste strategy and waste management and minimisation plan. Our long-term vision is to create zero waste and sustainable communities and this levy is one thing we can do to help to achieve that.
Making simple changes such as reducing the number of plastic bags we use can have a huge impact on the amount of waste we send to landfill. These are the sort of changes we want to see our community make to help reduce waste in the district, he said.
We have already seen how a similar levy has helped reduce plastic bag use overseas and I applaud Mayor Lester for being proactive.
Consultation on the Waipa Waste Strategy 2017-2035 and Waste Management and Minimisation Plan 2017-2023 is open until 3 August 2017 and submissions can be made online.
For more information, contact Simone van Asbeck 027 564 7622