In defence of the plastic bag

So Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett wants to ban plastic bags. This proposal may be a genuine product of the minister's fertile mind, or it may be a knee-jerk response to the Chinese government's announcement that it intends to do the same.

Plastic bags have become an, often too visible I admit, symbol of modern waste. And yet they have an honourable place in many people's lives, including mine. I use each one at least twice: the first time for transporting items from shops, the second for storage or waste disposal. I also use the green shopping bags which cost up to a dollar, but they have a limited effective life.

Rather than ban plastic bags outright I wouldn't be averse to paying a small sum, say 5 cents, each time I required a new one.