"Cya": Western Aus Bans the Plastic Bag Thanks to School Students

The Western Australian Premier has thrown his support behind a movement to ban the plastic bag in his state by next year.

Western Australian Premier, Mark McGowan, has announced that he will be enforcing a state-wide ban on a persistent menace, the plastic bag, from next July.

Mark McGowan told The Project that he's had this view for a while but that young students encouraged him after their passionate activism. 

"I've always had the view we should get rid of more plastics and clearly young people support it and I had a lot of letters from kids from local schools who are very supportive," McGowan told The Project. 

"It is good for the environment, it saves marine life and wildlife. I am a strong conservationist so anything that does that has my support."

It follows a movement that has seen other states like Queensland just last week announcing a ban as well.

Australia throws away four billion plastic bags a year that can be reused, according to Clean Up Australia, and these bags end up landfill and in waterways which is why it's important to limit the use of plastic bags in society as much as possible.

Next stop: NSW and Victoria.

Photo: Universal Pictures