At the council meeting on November 25, City of Ballarat councillors voted to implement an education campaign encouraging alternatives to using plastic bags in Ballarat’s central business district.

As part of the proposal the council will hold discussions with businesses, Commerce Ballarat and the community on ways to reduce the harm caused by plastic bag usage. 

The movement is being spearheaded by Ballarat Councillor Belinda Coates and it already has the support from traders, who are leading the way in environmental sustainability.

Ballarat’s Mega Meats general manager Paul Parker said his stores only use biodegradable bags to package meat.

It is an initiative the environmentally conscious business has been under-

taking for more than five years.

“Anything that is good for the environment is always the better option,” Mr Parker said.

“Unfortunately, without industry we are unable to use solely paper bags because we could not package meat like that. 

‘‘However, we do offer a box option for our bulk customers,’’

he said.

‘‘We line the inside of the box to make it more manageable for them.”

The council may trial a mandatory plastic-bag free initiative in the future.

The move follows recent legislation changes around the country.

In 2009, South Australia banned single-use plastic bags and last July, the City of Fremantle became the first council to enforce a law banning single-use plastic bags.

Similar initiatives have also been rolled out in parts of Canberra and the Northern Territory. 

The Ballarat council’s report outlined that Australians use almost 4 billion plastic bags annually, equating to almost 10 million a day.

Cr Coates said the review was a step in the right direction.

“This is a positive move and gives us a focus to look at community and retail sector education campaign with the goal of a plastic-bag-free trial in the near future,” Cr Coates said.

“It’s a great start. There are many benefits in getting people to stop and think about their consumption ... and use of plastic bags is a step towards getting people to think more sustainably.”

melissa.cunningham@fairfaxmedia.com.au