Woolworths to phase out staple service of visit to supermarket

The major Australian supermarket has announced a big change is coming for customers, which will change a visit to the shops forever.

Supermarket giant Woolworths will begin phasing out its 15-cent plastic shopping bags in three states from Monday.

In a statement released on Monday, Woolworths Group said stores in NSW, Victoria and Tasmania will gradually run down their stock of the bags in a move the company says is in alignment with its policy to stop selling the bags from June.

Woolworths said the change will result in more than 9000 tonnes of plastic removed from circulation annually across Australia and follows the phasing-out of the bags in other states and territories over the past 12 months.

Supermarket giant Woolworths will begin to phase out its 15-cent plastic shopping bags as of Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

Jeanette Fenske, Woolworths director of stores, said it was the best outcome for the environment.

“We’re excited to have Victoria, NSW and Tasmania complete our national journey to remove the 15-cent plastic shopping bag from all our stores nationwide,” Ms Fenske said.

“Having reusable bags on hand has become second nature for many shoppers, and so far we have seen our customers embrace this change with their usual eagerness to do good for the environment,” she said.

“We encourage our customers to keep up the great work.”

Ms Fenske said paper bags will continue to be available for people who forget to bring their own.

“We’re proud to be the first major supermarket to commit to removing these plastic shopping bags from our stores; this change is an important step towards more sustainable grocery shopping across the country,” she said.