There was anger and tempers flared in Australia over the weekend as retailers implemented a ban on single-use plastic bags.
One customer reportedly grabbed a shop assistant by the throat, while another called staff “money-grabbing scum”. The ban on single-use bags is part of a national push to reduce waste. Retailers in four of six Australian states now face fines for using them. More than 60 countries including the UK have now introduced bans or levies on single-use bags, according to the UN.
The UN environment agency estimates that up to 5 trillion single-use bags are consumed worldwide each year. Australian chain Woolworths introduced a ban on the bags on 20 June, ahead of the 1 July deadline, offering reusable bags for 15 cents (£0.08; $0.11) instead. More than 8 million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world’s oceans each year, according to UN, which has called for single-use bags to be eliminated completely by 2022.
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