Woolworths and Coles supermarkets have issued a new warning to customers after deciding to scrap single-use plastic bags from stores.
Earlier this week, Woolworths rolled out a ban on the bags, removing them promptly from stores across the country and advising customers to either bring their own bags or purchase bags at a cost between 15 cents and $2 in stores.
The move has angered many customers, but the Courier Mail now claims there are stricter rules in place when it comes to the bags staff at supermarkets will accept. According to the report, staff won’t touch the bags customers bring in from home and can refuse to serve customers with dirty or soiled bags.
The Courier Mail claims these bags will be rejected due to health and safety regulations and customers will be required to purchase a new bag if they wish to proceed with their purchase without a bag.
“For the health and safety of all customers and our team members, we cannot pack bags that are excessively dirty,” the spokeswoman told the Courier Mail. “If you need a new bag, we have alternatives starting at 15c, as well as a range of Community Bags, which direct a proportion of sales to our community and charity partners.”
Coles also told the publication it would accept the single-use bags that were being phased out and insisted they could still be used – even if they were scrunched up.
According to a statement by Woolworths, 74.7 per cent of customers support the move away from single-use plastic shopping bags. Earlier this week, Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said the ban was the right thing for the company to do.
“What we’re trying to do with this change is encourage more customers to bring their own reusable bags when shopping, so we can prevent plastic bags from reaching our waterways and reduce the overall production of plastics,” he said in a statement. “We know it may take some time for shoppers to form new habits, which is why we’ve been working hard to get the message out to customers to remember to bring their own bags over the past few months. Putting ‘reusable bags’ at the top of your shopping list, keeping a couple in the car or leaving a post-it note on the fridge are some simple tricks that could work as a reminder.”
He said there was also a “Woolworths Bag for Good” available to customers for 99 cents, which Woolworths would replace if it became damaged.
“Our Bag for Good is an unprecedented offering for our customers when it comes to reusable bags. It costs 99 cents and when it gets damaged, we will replace it for free, no matter when they bought it from us,” he added.
Coles is expected to ban the single-use bags from July.