Woolworths and Big W to stop selling reusable plastic bags across Australia

Woolworths and Big W will begin permanently phasing out its 15-cent reusable bags across Australia and the retailer ultimately wants to sell less bags altogether.

Woolworths has announced it will stop selling its 15-cent reusable plastic shopping bags across Australia.

It comes as the major supermarket started phasing out the bags in Western Australia back in March ahead of a statewide ban that is due to come into effect in July.

Now Woolworths is making the move to remove the bags from its 1000 stores across Australia, as well as Big W by this time next year.

Its 45-cent reusable plastic bags are also facing the chop from stores by the end of June 2023.

Woolworths claims to be the first national supermarket to pledge to remove plastic shopping bags for good and said its nationwide move will see more than 9000 tonnes of plastic removed from circulation annually.

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Woolworths is getting rid of its reusable bags across Australia. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Eight in every 10 Woolworths customers already bring their own bags when they shop, the supermarket revealed.

Shoppers who don’t bring their own bags will be offered Woolworths’ 20-cent paper shopping bags instead as the standard option, which will also be used for online orders.

The reusable plastic shopping bags will be phased out gradually state-by-state from Woolworths supermarkets, Metros, and online orders.

BIG W will introduce additional bag options into the range ahead of the change to complement its existing line of fabric bags and printed totes, it added.

Woolworths Managing Director, Natalie Davis. Picture: Nikki Short

Natalie Davis, managing director of Woolworths Supermarkets said reusable plastic bags were

introduced back in 2018 to help customers adjust to the removal of single use plastic bags from stores.

“We’ve seen a huge shift in shopping habits since we stopped giving out single use plastic bags … The reusable plastic bags have played their part and now it’s time to do away with selling plastic shopping bags at our check-outs for good,” she said.

“Bringing your own bags is the very best outcome for the environment, and we encourage our customers to keep up the great work.

“Paper bags will continue to be available for those who forget to bring their own – but ultimately we want to sell less bags altogether.”

She added that customers expected the supermarket to lead on sustainability but acknowledged it would be an adjustment for some and that’s why it was phasing the bags out over the next year.

Kate Marshall, 40 of Hendra, and her son Jimmy Marshall, 2, trying the new brown paper bags on offer at Woolworths, Ascot. Photographer: Liam Kidston

Aside from Western Australia, no other states currently have bans on the sale of thicker reusable plastic bags.

Customers in Western Australia have responded well to the move, with 76 per cent saying they support it, Woolworths said.

The supermarket’s stores in South Australia and Northern Territory will be the next to phase out the bags, with the transition set to begin by September this year.

Stores will begin gradually running down stock of the reusable plastic bag prior to its removal.

Woolworths and BIG W will help customers to prepare for the upcoming change, providing notice in each state ahead of time, with reminders via email, advertising and signs in store.

Woolworths rolled out compostable fruit and vegetable grocery bags in South Australia. Picture: Woolworths.

However, plastic bags to carry fruit and vegetables will continue to be available to customers in the produce department as the supermarket works to explore more sustainable options.

In South Australia earlier this year, Woolworths switched to compostable fruit and veg bags – a move made possible by the state’s nation-leading access to household composting, it added.

Sustainability expert at Monash Sustainable Development Institute Jenni Downe spoke to news.com.au earlier this year and warned removing plastic bags just moves the issue from one single use material to another.

She acknowledged there is no “silver bullet” to fixing the environmental problem but “demonising” one material like plastic just to substitute it for another can have unacceptable impacts.

“Other materials can be just as damaging, for example, when you produce paper the amount of water that needs to be used is huge and paper is relatively difficult to recycle,” she told news.com.au.

A shopper is seen with a Woolworths green shopping bag at the self service checkout. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Gaye Gerard

She said plastics are increasingly focused on due to consumer concern about them ending up in the ocean, but there are also environmental impacts from using alternative materials.

“Paper recycling is somewhat more efficient than plastics recycling, and slightly better if littered in the ocean as it will break down quicker, so less likely to choke marine life, but how do you weigh up cutting down trees versus turtles choking?” she said.

The nation’s journey to a more eco-friendly economy came one step closer this month too as single-use plastic bags were officially outlawed in NSW, the last state in the country to do so.