Publications

Plastic check-out bag use in non-supermarket retail outlets

Planet Ark Environmental Foundation for the
Department of the Environment and Heritage, March 2005

Appendix 2 - Original ARA format

ARA Code of Practice for the Management of Plastic Bags (‘the Code’) Group 2 Retailers Reporting Instructions and Form

• Reporting instructions
• Reporting requirements

Reporting instructions

The Australian Retailers Association (ARA) has adopted, in agreement with the Environment Protection and Heritage Council (EPHC), the ARA Code of Practice for the Management of Plastic Bags (the “Code”). The Code addresses the EPHC’s challenge to retailers to reduce and recycle high-density polyethylene (HDPE) lightweight plastic bags and represents retailers’ commitment to addressing these issues.

The Code’s initiatives commit retailer signatories to work with governments, other industries and the broader community to influence behavioural change and substantially reduce the volume of plastic bags in the litter stream.

Retailers that are signatories to the Code are classified as either Group One retailers or Group Two retailers, defined as:

• Group One: supermarket chains and independent supermarkets sponsored by wholesalers or run under banner groups; and
• Group Two: all other retailers using lightweight HDPE bags (e.g. convenience stores, takeaway food outlets, liquor stores, chemists, newsagents, hardware stores, clothing and general stores).

The reporting form (section A) and its instructions (section B) have been developed for Group Two retailers to assist them with reporting requirements under the Code. Separate guidelines and checklists are available for Group One retailers.

Reporting requirements

Group Two retailers will be required to submit annual reports to the ARA using the provided reporting checklist on their progress towards meeting the commitments under the Code.

Reports for Group Two retailers are not required to be independently verified, however, should be signed off by management where appropriate to indicate that the information contained within the report reflects a true and fair representation.

Group Two retailers are scheduled to report on the number of bags they issued in the previous year by the end of February in 2005 and 2006.

It is recommended that retailers nominate a person to be responsible for collecting required information and preparing reports.

For more information about the above code, please contact the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) www.ara.com.au/plasticbags

Australian Retailers Association
Level 2, 104 Franklin Street Melbourne Victoria 3000.