Single-use plastic bags will be banned in all Woolworths stores from today, as Queensland prepares for a state-wide ban to take effect next month.
Shoppers will no longer receive single-use plastic bags as Woolies ditches them across the country — instead consumers will have the choice of bringing their own in, or buying reusable bags ranging from 15 cents to $2. There is also an emergency foldable bag, available for 99 cents, which Woolies will replace for free if damaged.
“From the beginning, we felt strongly that this was the right thing to do and we’re really pleased to see customers are behind the change as well,” Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said.
“This is a landmark day for us not just as a business, but for our customers and communities, to help support a greener future for Australia. We are proud to say that from now on, single-use plastic bags are gone from our stores, for good.”
Queensland, Victoria and WA will ban single-use plastic bags from July 1, joining the ACT, the Northern Territory, South Australia and Tasmania who have had bans in place for several years. Although NSW will not have a ban, Coles and Woolworths have undertaken to phase out single-use plastic bags nationally.
“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,” Banducci said.
Over 3.9 billion plastic shopping bags are used in Australia every year and the majority go to landfill. They take years to decompose, and many end up in the environment polluting our waterways.
Woolworths and Coles have also recently announced plans to slash the amount of plastic wrapping on fresh fruit and vegetables in response to demand from shoppers.
“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.”