Service stations in Fiji say they have recorded a decrease of up to 75 percent in customers using plastic bags.
Photo: 123rf
This comes just over a fortnight since the government introduced a ten cent levy on plastic bags.
The Fiji Fuel Retailers Association said it believed the decrease was also a reflection of service station owners training their staff to advocate against plastic bag use.
The association has pledged to save one-million plastic bags from being used at its member's service stations and convenience stores across the country.
It said 44,196 plastic bags distributed by fuel retailers had incurred the levy during its first 15 days.
The association said its focus was on encouraging customers to completely ditch single use plastic bags that can end up in waterways becoming a hazard to fish, turtles and other marine life.
Fiji's plastic bag levy is an initiative arising from the government's voluntary commitment at the 2017 United Nation's Ocean Conference to reduce plastic bag use in Fiji to a negligible level by 2025.
According to legislation, funds raised through the levy will go to environmental projects in Fiji.
