Niue bans importation of plastic shopping bags
Niue joins the fight against plastic shopping bags by imposing a prohibition order on the importation of plastic shopping bags.
The Government of Niue under the authority of the Niue Customs Act 1966 will impose the “Customs Import Prohibition (Plastic Shopping Bags) Order after receiving Cabinet approval on the 4th of February 2020.
Effective as of 1st March 2020, importers and businesses will not be allowed to import plastic shopping bags, however, exception is made for plastic bags used for packaging purposes.
The Order will prohibit the importation of plastic shopping bags and is the culmination of the collaborative efforts of the Niue Chamber of Commerce, Ministry of Natural Resources, the Niue Tourism Office, Crown Law Office and the enforcement agency Customs Niue.
Plastic shopping bags are known to have caused harm to marine life and is a big contributor to the growing problem of excessive rubbish in our homes and community.
Since the beginning of the year, signs promoting the use of re-usable shopping bags were seen outside the main shopping areas, encouraging shoppers to use cloth or re-usable shopping bags.
Businesses with existing stock of plastic bags are allowed to use these bags to phase out by the 1st of June 2020.
