Supermarket ban sees 80pc drop in plastic bag consumption nationwide, retail association says

The ban on single-use plastic bags by Australia's two largest supermarkets has prevented the introduction of an estimated 1.5 billion bags into the environment — and the retail industry is hopeful this is only the beginning.

NSW is now the only state or territory in Australia
 that has not moved to legislate to phase out plastic bags.

Coles and Woolworths' decision to stop offering single-use disposable plastic bags mid-way through the year was initially met with swift public backlash.

But three months on, the radical change has translated to an 80-per-cent drop in the consumption of plastic bags nationwide, according to the National Retail Association (NRA).

Read the ABC News story - “Supermarket ban sees 80pc drop in plastic bag consumption nationwide, retail association says.”

Not all fans of plastic bag ban

One in five Aussie shoppers are opposed to retail giants Woolworths and Coles introducing bans on single-use plastic bags.

While the bans have been welcomed by green groups and many shoppers, Canstar Blue research shows 20 per cent don’t agree.

Woolies introduces its ban tomorrow when the retail giant’s supermarkets, BWS, Metro and petrol outlets will stop offering free disposable bags to shoppers in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia.

Coles stores will follow suit on July 1.

Canstar says more than half of shoppers have already begun stockpiling plastic bags at home, based on a survey of more than 2200 people.

While 71 per cent of those surveyed back the ban, 21 per cent disagree and eight per cent are undecided.

Nearly half expect that taking their own bags to the shops would be a hassle.

‘‘While the plastic bag ban is supported by most, the supermarkets can expect some frustrated customers in the weeks ahead,’’ Canstar Blue editor Simon Downes said yesterday.

‘‘While Coles and Woolworths have been trying to get the message across, there will still be lots of shoppers turning up unprepared and shocked that they’ll need to purchase one or more bags to carry their groceries home.’’

Some Woolworths shoppers have threatened to boycott the retailer after it revealed plans to charge its online pickup and delivery customers $1 for the reusable plastic bags their goods will be packed in.

Home delivery customers opting for a new ‘‘crate to bench service’’ will have to fork out $3.50 per order.

Many angry shoppers have taken to the Woolworths Facebook page to criticise the charges.

Stephanie Davey wrote that while she supports the removal of single-use plastic bags, the new extra charges were ‘‘completely unreasonable’’ given she already pays an annual delivery fee.

‘‘I do now need to accumulate heavy duty bags every delivery, and do not want to pay $3.50 to remove my groceries from the crate. I will happily do this myself! Disappointed customer, looking to the opposition who are not charging an additional fee,’’ she wrote.

Greenpeace spokeswoman Zoe Deans said the bans should dramatically reduce plastic waste, particularly on Australia’s coastline.

‘‘It takes a bit of getting used to and remembering to pop your re-usable bag into your handbag or backpack to make sure you have one on hand,’’ she said.

‘‘But we do think people understand the pervasiveness of plastic and that it takes hundreds of years to break down in the environment.’’

Bans on single-use plastic bags in several European countries since 2003 has led to a 30 per cent drop in plastic bags found in waters off the continent, according to a study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment in April.

Story from The Shepparton News by Belinda Tasker - “Not all fans of plastic bag ban.”

Coles and Woolworths’ plastic bag ban and the choices that remain

By the end of June, most of Australia’s major supermarkets will have stopped handing out single-use plastic bags.

Woolworths, Coles and the Queensland government are all
phasing out lightweight shopping bags, potentially
 preventing billions ending up in landfill or oceans.

Woolworths, Coles, and the Queensland and Western Australian governments are all phasing out lightweight shopping bags, potentially preventing billions of bags from finding their way into landfill or oceans.

But what is and isn’t being phased out? What are the alternatives, and how effective will the policy be? 

Read the story from The Guardian by Naaman Zhou - “Coles and Woolworths’ plastic bag ban and the choices that remain.”

Plastic bags in the firing line as public figures line up to trash inaction in NSW, Victoria and WA

There are growing calls for a national ban on single-use plastic bags, after Coles and Woolworths yesterday announced they would phase out the environmental hazards.

Call for national ban on single use plastic bags.

The supermarket giants, as well as New South Wales chain Harris Farm Markets, have pledged to stop supplying the single-use bags to shoppers within 12 months.

Their decision will affect customers in Australia's two biggest markets — NSW and Victoria — as well as Western Australia.

All other states and territories have already implemented bans, or have plans to do so.

Read Riley Stuart’s story on ABC News - “Plastic bags in the firing line as public figures line up to trash inaction in NSW, Victoria and WA.”