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National | Law

Single-use plastic nearly gone for good

The days for the single-use plastic bag are numbered.  From the 1st of July shops won't be able to give or use new single-use plastic bags after new legislation comes into effect.

The owner of the Māori Kitchen in downtown Auckland, Rewi Spraggon has already left single-use plastic bags behind.

"If we're talking about clean green New Zealand, that's a load of rubbish!  If we're being green then this is the start.  We need to change people's thoughts towards the land, ocean and forest.  The whole lot," he says.

The phasing out of single-use plastic bags is almost complete and the ban requires all retailers selling goods in New Zealand to stop offering single-use plastic shopping bags.

Spraggon says, "We need to look at our country if plastic bags are still used- our land, our oceans, the lot will be rotten."

"The big companies like New World and Pak'n'Save, they can change to paper bags because they are a huge company, but if you go to the night markets or to Chinese takeaways there's a heap of plastic."

Spraggon believes a fine is in order for those who knowingly flout the new law.