The plastic bag ban in the state of South Australia goes into effect this month as the retailer Target Australia plans to eliminate plastic bags from all of its stores countrywide.

The South Australia ban prevents stores from providing thin, single-use plastic bags, but still allows fruit and vegetable bags and thicker department store bags.

The remaining options for shoppers are to buy reusable bags or compostable bags, which must be able to be composted by worms and microorganisms. Violations of the ban range from $315 to a maximum of $5,000 for retailers giving away or selling banned bags, with suppliers facing up to $20,000 fines for providing bags.

South Australia is the lone state in the country to enforce such a ban, and environmental groups are using its passage to push for a nationwide plastic bag ban.

One retailer is setting its own nationwide ban. Target Australia, not affiliated with Target Corporation US, said it will no longer offer single use plastic bags at its 283 stores in Australia as of June 1 this year. The stores will only offer reusable bags, for $1, or compostable bags, for 10 cents. Profits will go a children's charity, the Alannah and Madeline Foundation.

Target estimates it gives out 100 million bags a year, and South Australia expects its ban will eliminate 400 million bags a year. All of Australia uses about 4 billion plastic bags annually.

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