In most big retailers the thin plastic bags are used to unnecessarily wrap fruit and vegetables.

The thicker plastic bags – which can be reused – are not banned.

Shoppers from July 1 can bring their own recyclable bag – plastic or anything else – or buy one from shop at a cost of between 15₵ and 20₵.

While most of the small plastic bags end up in landfill – more than 984 million each year – more than 16 million end up in the environment each year.

Once there, some bags end up choking whales, turtles, fish and dugongs who eat them thinking they are jellyfish.

To kick off Monday’s public awareness of the July 1 plastic bag ban, Queensland’s Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch lent on the former Brisbane Souths, Canberra Raiders, Queensland and Australian rugby league captain.

Meninga is the ambassador for the public relations campaign by the National Retailers Association and the Queensland Government to ban lightweight plastic bags.

He put the scale of the problem into 2018 State of Origin Game One terms.

“If you look at the MCG, the stadium there; there is 95,000 seats,” the rugby league champion said.

“We (Queenslanders) use, per seat, 10,000 lightweight plastic bags per year.

“It’s only a small change for a big impact. It may be an inconvenience for some, but over time if you make it part of your daily routine, we can help to save the environment.”

Ms Enoch said banning single use plastic bags was the first step to reduce plastics in the environment.

“We’ve been working with the federal government through the meeting of environment ministers to look at packaging,” she said.

“That is something we have to resolve at a national level.”

In April 2018, all Australia’s environment ministers agreed that all of Australia’s packaging would be "recyclable, compostable or reusable" by 2025 as part of an effort to fix the nation's waste crisis.

“Also late this year in November, the container refund scheme will continue to take plastics out of our environment," Ms Enoch said.

“It can be used for other things which have other uses down the track,” she said as doubts emerge around the financial viability of recycling glass among other contaminants.

“You will see more work being done around removing plastic pollutants from the environment this year.”

Mr Enoch questioned why some retailers packaged bananas – and other fruit and vegetables - in thin plastic bags.

“I know some retailers are looking to make things convenient for customers, but I think Queenslanders are looking to reduce plastic pollution," she said.

“That is the goal we should be looking at.”