Bland Shire Council in conjunction with REROC (Riverina Eastern Regional Organsiation of Councils) are working together to give away 800 woven shopping bags to Bland Shire residents through a plastic bag swap program.
General Manager of Bland Shire Council, Phil Marshall, said that the new woven bags are designed to be kept in the car, making them handy to use for purchases at the supermarket and other retailers.
"In Australia we consume 6.9 billion plastic bags each year. Only 5% of these are taken back to the shops for reuse with 80 million ending up as litter in our environment. This is a major concern when it can take between 20 and 1000 years for a plastic bag to break down," added Mr Marshall.
Deposit points for bags are located at the West Wyalong landfill and at the Bland Shire Council Administration Building in Shire Street. Residents are required to bring in 20 plastic bags in exchange for 1 woven bag and bags are available until stocks last.
"Please come in and support this environmentally friendly move. The plastic bags collected will all be recycled. Using recycled bags saves energy and resources," concluded Mr Marshall.
