Plastic bags on way out in Kaikoura

A proposal to make Kaikoura the first plastic bag free district in New Zealand has received more than $23,000 in funding to produce thousands of reusable bags for shoppers.

The initiative is being orchestrated by the Kaikoura Enhancement Trust and the Kaikoura District Council and will see 10,000 reusable bags printed, distributed to households and sold by businesses for $1.50.

Kaikoura District Council environmental development officer Nicole Sherriff, who comes from Tasmania, borrowed the idea from there.

She said Coles Bay became Australia's first plastic bag-free town in 2003, when its seven businesses stopped using plastic bags and gave reusable bags to residents.

Kaikoura had more than 70 businesses and 25 were already supporting the project, she said.

The move was part of a three year plan and this year the aim was not to suddenly stop the usage of plastic bags, but gradually reduce them.

The project agreement asks businesses to undertake three initiatives from options including the regular training of staff to encourage customers to reduce their need for plastic bags, supplying paper bags instead of plastic bags and making reusable bags available to customers.

Ms Sherriff said the money for the scheme came from pub charities, the Canterbury Waste Joint Committee and the Zero Waste Trust New Zealand and will be spent on purchase, printing and freighting the bags, promotional stickers and certificates for the businesses involved.

The No Plastic Fantastic design was created by 11-year-old Kaikoura High School student Helena Knowles.

Ms Sherriff said benefits for businesses which signed up included being part of a New Zealand first initiative and making a 50 cent profit from each bag. The rest of the money, $1, will go to the Kaikoura Enhancement Trust for the manufacturing of more bags, and the first run will be printed in November.

- The Marlborough Express