Fijians should not be under the impression that thicker plastic bags which have replaced the now banned single-use plastics bags are here to stay.

Fijians should not be under the impression that thicker plastic bags that have replaced the now banned single-use plastics bags are here to stay.

Retailers and supermarkets are using plastic bans which don’t fall under the ban – but Environment Minister Dr Mahendra Reddy confirms this too, is temporary.

“The intention is to keep our environment clean, keep plastic bags away from the environment. Not to move people from thinner plastic bags to thicker plastic bags – absolutely not. The Minister for Economy announced this a long time back in the Budget, and then the 10 cent levy was announced. So people had information on this a long time back.”

He adds the complete removal of plastic bags has to be done in phases, and there will be a transition period where some types of plastic bags will remain in use.

The ban exempts plastic bags more than 50 microns that don’t have handles.

Most supermarkets now use this for packing frozen meat and fresh produce.