Woolworths to axe free plastic bags within 12 months

UPDATE: COLES has joined Woolworths in announcing the supermarket will stop giving shoppers free plastic bags within the next 12 months.

Woolworths chief Brad Banducci.

UPDATE: COLES has announced their own plan to phase out plastic bags after Woolworths pledged to stop giving shoppers free plastic bags within the next 12 months.

Coles Chief Customer Officer Simon McDowell said their announcement follows several months of consultation.

“We’ve been working towards this announcement for some time now as part of our ongoing program to improve environmental outcomes throughout our business,” he said.

Great news that @Coles are banning all single use plastic bags...Problem is what the heck am I going to wrap George's dirty Nappies in..

— Patrick Dangerfield (@dangerfield35) July 14, 2017

Coles will continue to sell reusable bags and promises “plenty of other options” for customers who do not bring bags from home.

The move follows an earlier announcement from Woolworths that they will phase out free plastic bags.

The supermarket giant will instead encourage customers to bring their own shopping bag or charge 15c for a heavier-duty reusable plastic bag.

Woolworths chief Brad Banducci said the retail giant needed to do its bit to cut down on plastic waste.

“We currently give out more than 3.2 billion lightweight plastic bags a year and hence can play a significant role in reducing overall plastic bag usage,” he said.

Woolworths will no longer give customers single-use plastic bags at its supermarkets, or at Big W stores.

“We are committed to taking our environmental and community responsibilities seriously. “While we know this is a major decision, we will work very closely with all of our store teams to ensure the transition for our customers is as simple as possible.”

The decision impacts customers in Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.

State governments in South Australia, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and Tasmania have already banned single-use lightweight plastic shopping bags while Queensland is set to join the push against plastic by the middle of next year.

Mr Banducci said customers would continue to have access to a range of alternative shopping bag options across the Woolworths Group network of stores.

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