Seventy-service stations have reduced three and a half-million single use of plastic bags from its convenience stores in the first twelve months since the introduction of the ten-cent plastic bag levy last year.

Fiji Fuel Retailers Association secretary, Pavan Haer says the decrease demonstrates the commitment by its members to support national efforts to protect the natural environment.

He says the association members have transferred approximately eighty- five- thousand dollars to the Fiji Revenue and Customs Service for applying the single use plastic bag levy at fuel service station convenience stores.

”There was sort of lot of back work regarding that. 3.5 million just doesn’t happen overnight so we had to train our staff, we had bumper stickers, we had posters. It’s really changing the behavior of people in Fiji and we definitely think we definitely did a bit of behavioral change across the board.”

The association initially made a public pledge to reduce one million plastic bags in twelve months through its fuel service station convenience stores.
The plastic levy came into effect on 1st August last year.