Some Coles and Woolworths stores across Australia will ban all plastic bags from Wednesday, three months earlier than planned, it has been reported.
The two major supermarket chains are rolling out the new rules early across 16 suburbs, before the official ban on single-use plastic bags starts from July 1. From then, they’ll be joined by the rest of their branches, alongside Big W and BWS liquor stores.
Woolies confirmed to Yahoo 7 that 12 stores will be banning the bags from Wednesday, while reports on news.com.au claim an additional four Coles stores would join them on the same day.
A Woolworths spokesperson said the decision to try it out early in these few stores was a way for them to “monitor the feedback from customers” before the offical ban commences.
“Wednesday marks a big day for us and these communities, as we take this early, but important step in partnership with our customers to help create a greener future for Australia,” the spokesman added.
The ban will begin from Wednesday for Woolworths stores in Victoria, Toorak, Wyndham Vale and Taylors Lakes, along with Sydney stores in Marayong, Greenway Village and Dural. Elsewhere, the bags will disappear from Queenstown’s Noosa Civic and Mossman, along with Western Australia’s Singleton, South Fremantle and Cottesloe, the report states.
Meanwhile some Coles stores in Williamstown will roll out the ban, with another in Sydney’s Balgowlah.
“We know many customers enjoy the convenience of single-use bags, so we’re trialling the phase out in a number of stores to ensure we make the transition as easy as possible,” Coles Managing Director John Durkan told news.com.au.
Instead of being offered free plastic bags, customers will have the choice of bringing their own in, or buying reusable ones ranging from 15 cents to $2.
It comes after Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews called on NSW counterpart Gladys Berejiklian to follow the nationwide ban, as NSW was the last to announce the new rules. It has since adopted them too.
“I’m not the Premier of NSW, something I’m eternally grateful for,” he said at the time. “Hopefully Gladys Berejiklian will be convinced to do what NSW does so well: follow Victoria’s lead.”