The government officially responded to commissioner Professor Kate Auty's 2018 review of the plastic shopping bag ban on Thursday.

It also said it would not introduce a data scheme on plastic bag use in Canberra, despite also pointing out previous reviews and government policy on the ban were hampered by the lack of data on plastic bag use.

Professor Auty's review found the ban had kept 1132 tonnes of plastic going into landfill since 2011, but also warned that plastic bag use was then returning to pre-ban levels.

The government's report said a minimum price or levy on plastic bags would hurt low income households and did not have community support.

It said a lack of evidence meant it could not justify a minimum pricing model, noting the insufficient information on the prices of different types of plastic bags.

Professor Auty's review recommended data be collected on the types of plastic bags sold.

But collecting data on plastic bags would place a "potential regulatory burden" on the 1120 small businesses in the ACT, according to the government.

"An alternative approach could be to only seek data from larger businesses," the government's response read.

"However, this approach would dilute the quality of the data collected."

A floor price on plastic bags, dictated by the bag type, could help give Canberrans a "nudge" to stop using plastic bags, the commissioner said in her report.

But in rejecting the recommendation of a minimum price, the government said it was unclear if a price would change consumer behaviour.

"If the price is too low, consumers will not be incentivised to reduce plastic bag waste," the government said.

"If it is too high, an unnecessary burden may be placed on vulnerable individuals and households."

The commissioner's report estimated in 2017-18, purchasing plastic shopping bags was costing households $4.20 per year.

However the government said if a higher minimum price was set, households could spend an extra $63 per year in 2018-19.

The commissioner's two other recommendations were accepted by the government, one on improving the governance of plastic bag regulations.

The fourth recommended more research on the use of biodegradable and compostable bags and tying it in with the government's future food and organic waste household collection service.

The ACT banned plastic shopping bags in 2011 to cut down on the amount ending up in landfill each year.

In her report, the commissioner pointed out a plastic shopping bag has an average lifespan of 30 minutes before it ends up in landfill, where it takes 1000 years to decompose.