Major Darling Downs Coles, Woolworths stores called out for flower bucket dumping

Major regional supermarkets have been exposed for their role in sending hundreds of recyclables to landfill each week, prompting a local environmentalist to call for change. Full story here.

A universal household item is being discarded by supermarket giants each week, despite the stores advocating a zero-waste campaign.

Major outlets Woolworths and Coles have been called to take action by a Darling Downs environmentalist for their ignorance towards sustainable recycling processes.

Regular shoppers at Coles and Woolies would be familiar with the bouquets of flowers for sale at the entrance as the bright colours entice customers inside.

However, the vast majority of shoppers may not be aware that the plastic buckets holding those bouquets are being dumped with regular garbage at the end of each week.

Both supermarket outlets came under fire in November 2022 after it was discovered their partnered recycling program REDcycle was found stockpiling thousands of tonnes of soft plastics.

Generic supermarket / shopping aisle / food /products A brand new Coles supermarket due to open on 3/4/09 at Chatswood Chase. fresh flowers at point of sale.

Millmerran Landcare co-ordinator Beck Kirby said she was alerted to the issue by a fellow environmentalist working in a regional Coles store.

Mrs Kirby said on average the Toowoomba store would dispose of roughly 50 to 100 of the supplied buckets due to the supplier allegedly refusing to accept their return.

“They’re not contaminated, they’ve just got water in them,” she said.

“(Wouldn’t it make sense) to pick up a product that you delivered and have sat there with only your products in it, that you then pick them up.”

In an attempt to alleviate the growing issue, Mrs Kirby agreed to take more than 100 buckets which she then left outside the Millmerran Landcare office for the public to take freely.

“The first 120 went like wildfire but once you get a bucket, it’s not something you need everyday or week,” she said.

A Darling Downs environmentalist has been collecting flower buckets from a Woolworths and Coles store in a bid to stop the supermarket giants unsustainable practice. Photo: Supplied

After doing some of her own investigating, Mrs Kirby located the company responsible for supplying the flowers and their buckets, yet when she reached out, received no response.

“Bunnings are taking pots and such back now, and soil is so much more contaminating than just water,” she said.

“I do a lot of school work with kids and I always talk about reduce, reuse, recycle and I think people are using recycling now as a scapegoat.

“Recycling’s the last ditch effort, we’ve got to stop it in the first place and if we can’t stop it, reuse the bloody bins.”

Determined to get some answers, she then made attempts to contact Coles directly with no success.

In a statement to The Chronicle, a Coles spokesperson said the supermarket was working to ensure all stores nationwide were participating in a supplier return program.

“Some of our stores currently return used floral buckets to our suppliers so they can be reused and recycled, and we are working to expand the program to all stores nationally,” the spokesperson said.

In the process Mrs Kirby also came to learn supermarket rival Woolworths were partaking in the same unsustainable practices.

QMDC's Janet Barker and Sarah Brookes worked with Millmerran Landcare Co-ordinator Beck Kirby (R) to organise the clean up of the Millmerran bypass. Photo: File

The Chronicle also contacted Woolworths with a spokesperson confirming they were aware of the issue.

“While a number of our stores have established processes to return the buckets back to our flower suppliers or distribution centres, unfortunately that’s not the case for all our stores,” the spokesperson said.

“We know there is still more work to be done, and we will work with our suppliers on opportunities to introduce this process in more stores.”

The Chronicle reached out to the Lynch Group about the allegation, who are the florist supplier for Coles and Woolworths stores in South East Queensland.

“The Lynch Group has a bucket return process in place with our customers and we continue to work collaboratively with them to optimise the number of buckets returned through various initiatives,” a spokesperson said.

Originally published as Major Darling Downs Coles, Woolworths stores called out for flower bucket dumping