Woolies selling a plastic-free shop

Noosa Woolies goes plastic free at Civic

BEAUT BAGS: Young shoppers Ava and Jamie are already clued up on using reusable shopping bags but accept a free cloth bag from Noosa Civic Woolies management jto0 add to their collection. Picture: Peter Gardiner

YOUNG Noosa Civic Woolworths shoppers Jamie and Ava cannot wait to consign plastic bags to the garbage bin of history.

They were among the hundreds of shoppers who reached out for the reusable bags being given away by supermarket management to help make good on its goal to be plastic free.

The Civic is one of 12 Woolies trial centres around Australia to bring in the single use ban early with the rest of its supermarkets phasing them out on June 20.

Debbie, of Brisbane, was like so many other shoppers already keen for the early re-education of our wasteful shopping habits.

"Yes, I'll buy (resusable) bags and bring them to the store each time. It's great it's happening here... we haven't started it down there yet,” Debbie said.

Noosa Civic Woolworth store manager Graham Loney said:

"We're lucky enough to be one of the stores in Queensland to go single use, plastic bag-free,”

"I think it's fantastic for the store, fantastic for the environment and all the team and the community have been 100 per cent behind us. So it's a really special day for Noosa.

"We've been handing out free bags to obviously add to people's collection or to start them off.

"We have on every check out reusable bags to buy.”

He said the feedback from the customers has been overwhelmingly positive, with multiple customers turning up with plenty of environmental bags.

Noosa MP Sandy Bolton said this was a wonderful start as the community was so committed to becoming plastic free.

"This is another step, we've still got a ways to go, (but) it's good news. I think that we've already seen today the commitment and the passion, it's there.”

Ms Bolton's top tip is to always put the reusable bags in the front seat of the car.

Mayor Tony Wellington said the trial "fits perfectly with Noosa's efforts to become plastic free”.

"Noosa council is working of course with Boomerang Alliance and various other local stakeholders to make Noosa plastic free,” Cr Wellington said.

"It's understood that we have a long and proud history of environmental protection here in Noosa. I think the Noosa community already is pretty much on board with the notion of being plastic free.”

Woolworths customers who don't bring their own bags will have access to a range of alternative shopping bag options in store, including thicker reusable plastic bags at 15c and canvas bags at 99c.

The State Government has legislated a ban on single use lightweight plastic shopping bags from July 1.