Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law

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Consultation has concluded.

Council decided not to proceed with the Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law, as the State Government banned the supply of lightweight plastic bags in WA from the 1st July 2018.

In July and August 2017 the City of Fremantle advertised the Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law 2017.

Checkout style plastic bags are made from non-renewable petroleum, can take hundreds of years to break down and cause significant environmental problems.

Despite our reduction in plastic bag use, Australians still use over four billion plastic single-use bags each year. This proposed local law aims to reduce the use of single-use plastic shopping bags within the City of Fremantle.

For more information, please refer to the FAQs for both retailers and shoppers. The proposed Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law is available here.



Image credit: Jorge Gamboa, Bicébé 2017



In July and August 2017 the City of Fremantle advertised the Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law 2017.

Checkout style plastic bags are made from non-renewable petroleum, can take hundreds of years to break down and cause significant environmental problems.

Despite our reduction in plastic bag use, Australians still use over four billion plastic single-use bags each year. This proposed local law aims to reduce the use of single-use plastic shopping bags within the City of Fremantle.

For more information, please refer to the FAQs for both retailers and shoppers. The proposed Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law is available here.



Image credit: Jorge Gamboa, Bicébé 2017



Consultation has concluded.

Council decided not to proceed with the Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law, as the State Government banned the supply of lightweight plastic bags in WA from the 1st July 2018.

  • State Government WA Plastic Bag Ban

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    Council decided not to proceed with the Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law, as the State Government banned the supply of lightweight plastic bags in WA from the 1st July 2018.

    For more information visit: https://www.der.wa.gov.au/your-environment/wa-plastic-bag-ban

  • State Government Proposes Plastic Bag Ban

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    The State Government of Western Australia announced that from 1 July 2018, lightweight single-use plastic bags will be banned statewide in WA.


    Western Australians are being asked to provide input into the plastic bag ban which comes into effect on 1 July 2018.


    The Implementing a lightweight single-use plastic bag ban in Western Australia discussion paper is now open for public comment from 20 December 2017 until 9 March 2018. To find out more and comment click here to be directed to the WA Department of Water and Environmental Regulation's website.


    The City of Fremantle's proposed Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law has been put on hold pending the outcome of the WA State Government discussion paper on a WA Plastic Bag Ban.

  • Third time lucky?

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    Over the past five years Fremantle Council has been trying to implement a local law to ban businesses from providing single-use non-biodegradable plastic bags to customers. This initiative evolved from a strong community campaign, where the council received a petition of over 1,000 signatures requesting the removal of plastic bags from the City of Fremantle.

    The original local law was submitted to the Joint Standing Committee of WA in 2013, however was disallowed at this time. The reason cited for this disallowance motion was a mandatory charge for issuing a bag the City had included in the local law. The City removed this charge, and resubmitted the local law to Parliament in early 2015. In October 2015, the plastic bag local law was disallowed by the Legislative Council for the second time.

    In April 2017, council adopted the Plastic Bag Reduction Local Law for the third time.

    With a change in state government has come fresh hope for not only the local law being approved, but the potential for a statewide ban to bring WA into line with several other states and territories.

    Follow our progress by checking this page for updates.