New Zealand: Z Energy operator takes on plastic bags

On International Plastic Bag Free Day, a Z Energy retailer in New Zealand has introduced a voluntary plastic bag levy to encourage customers to think twice before taking a bag.

At 14 Z service stations during July, customers will be asked if they need a bag and if they'd like to donate 10 cents for each bag to the charity, Sustainable Coastlines, which cleans up New Zealand’s coastlines and waterways.

Anton Hutton, who operates the 14 sites in the Christchurch area, says as a father of two young children, an initiative to reduce the use of plastic bags felt like the right thing to do.

“Single-use plastic bags are having a massive ecological impact on our world. Millions of tonnes of plastic end up in our oceans every year and we can all make a difference to stop this tide of waste. My 14 Z sites alone give out around 52,000 single-use plastic bags to customers every year,” Anton said.

Z is using the initiative as a pilot to measure if the move reduces plastic bag usage. The company will then look at how the scheme could be tweaked and rolled out to other Z service stations around the country.

Z Sustainability Manager, Gerri Ward, says Z customers nationwide use around two million plastic bags every year.

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