06 June, 2018

Shepparton's Fairleys SUPA IGA step up plastic bag ban

Shepparton’s Fairleys SUPA IGA will join supermarket giants Woolworths and Coles in phasing out single-use plastic bags by July 1.

Operations manager Dominic D’Agostino said the supermarket was running down its excess stock while waiting for new reusable bags to be completed by a third-party manufacturer.
Shepparton's Fairleys SUPA IGA step up to plastic
bag ban and Woolworths say plastic straws will be
going as well.
‘‘It was our intention to roll it out sooner but we’re sitting on excessive stock and are waiting to get the reusable bags,’’ he said.

‘‘We will also have reusable plastic bags.’’

He said there would soon be a range of calico, hessian and woven bags for sale ranging from $1 to $4.

Last year Woolworths and Coles announced they would phase out the plastic bags by July 1, with Woolworths recently bringing the date forward to June 20.

Ahead of World Environment Day yesterday, Woolworths also announced plans to phase out plastic straws as well as reduce its plastic packaging on fruits and vegetables.

‘‘While we’ve made progress in reducing the amount of plastic in our stores, supported recycling labelling initiatives, and made improvements in energy efficiency, sustainable sourcing and reducing food waste, we know that more needs to be done to meet our customers’ expectations,’’ Woolworths group chief executive Brad Banducci said.

Coles committed to halving food waste in its supermarkets by 2020 by donating unsold edible food to people in need and diverting food waste to animal feed, clean energy, fertiliser and compost.

‘‘Over the coming months, Coles will release a range of initiatives and commitments to drive more sustainable operations, to reduce our impact on the planet and to help our customers and team members lead healthy lives,’’ its website read.

While Fairleys IGA has no immediate plans in place to phase out products such a plastic straws, Mr D’Agostino said they had always maintained a low level of plastic packaging for fresh produce items.

‘‘We look at ourselves as being a fruit shop on steroids,’’ he said.

‘‘There’ll always be a prepackaged market when it comes to bags of potatoes, etc. That’s just the reality.’’

He said they would also offer their home delivery clients the option to have their groceries packed into boxes.

‘‘There’s a lot of clients who can’t grab their own reusable bag so we can pack it into boxes if they so desire.’’This story is from the Shepparton News - “Plastic bags be gone”.

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