Kushaal Raj

Small businesses such as bean cart operators that rely on plastic bags less than 50 microns are exempt from the ban on single-use plastic bags.

The government’s Climate Change Division has clarified that any business which relies on plastic to pre-pack its good can do so.

Ocean Specialist Kushaal Raj says the ban on plastic less than 50 microns will not apply so long as the product is pre-packed before any sale happens.

“Anything that’s pre-packaged at the manufacturing end of the chain or it could be a small business, this could be less than 50 microns. Because this is pre-packed the law exempts these bags. If you are pre-packaging these from home and selling these, then this is totally acceptable.”

Under the ban, commonly used plastic bags used for shopping are now prohibited.

The same applies to plastic bags that were previously used for fresh produce and frozen meat at supermarkets.