South Africa does not have a law banning plastic bags. However, to reduce littering and discourage customers from buying them, South Africa increased the plastic bag levy in April by 50 percent to 12 cents per bag.
Woolworths’ head of sustainability Feroz Koor said research had shown that the levy introduced in 2003 has not curbed the country’s plastic shopping bag consumption. He said the retailer aims to phase out plastic bags by 2020.
Reuters.com quoted Koor as saying: “When you consider that Woolworths currently sells about 140 million plastic bags a year, which is between six to seven tonnes of plastic, helping consumers choose reusable bags will make a significant impact on reducing plastic waste.”
