Plastic bags can take between 15 and 1,000 years to break down in the environment. Even then, they never disappear; they simply break down into smaller and smaller fragments that continue to cause environmental harm.
Plastic bags contribute to an estimated 8 million tonnes of plastic dumped into the ocean every year. They fill our landfill, harm our wildlife and leach toxic chemicals in to the ground.
Most Victorian council kurbside recycling bins do not accept plastic bags, and only 3% of Australia's plastic bags are currently being recycled.
With so many alternatives out there, including re-usable cloth and string bags, the transition to no plastic bags could be a real possibility in Victoria.
To find our more visit the Sustainability Victoria website.
Consultations close on 25 January 2018 and a report on the feedback will be published in March 2018.