Woolworths supermarket to phase out 15c plastic bags in two more states

The supermarket has confirmed that remaining states will follow in the coming months.

Woolworths shoppers in Queensland and the ACT will soon have to purchase a paper bag or bring their own bags to reuse. (Suplied: Woolworths Group)

Woolworths supermarket will start phasing out its 15c reusable plastic shopping bags in all Queensland and ACT stores starting today - February 15, while its competitor Coles is abandoning its trial for reusable produce bags in Canberra.

In order to keep the environment clean and “green”, according to Woolworths' state general manager for Queensland, Danny Baldwin, the company decided to phase out the bags. "By removing the 15-cent plastic bags in Queensland and the ACT, we will be removing over 1,600 tonnes of plastic from the system," he said.

The action was inspired by customers, he revealed - "Eighty percent of our customers currently bring in their own bag, so over the number of years, I think customers have really responded to reusing bags." 

"Also, a number of our customers are electing to actually not use bags at all."

He said the store would continue to offer alternative reusable options like paper, fabric and chill bags.

"But we want to sell fewer bags," he said.

Mr Baldwin said the supermarket giant was also working to minimize plastic in the grocery aisles. "We will continue to remove plastic from our business, but we need to work sustainably with our suppliers," he said. 

He said Woolworths also aimed to phase out plastic bags in its online business throughout 2023.

Coles switches to compostable produce bags

A trial ban on the use of plastic bags for fresh produce began in September last year at Coles

Although Coles is working to eliminate its single-use produce bags, the company has abandoned a trial of reusable mesh bags that was announced last year and will instead launch compostable produce bags. The chain's management said the trial in its ACT stores had been a challenge for both customers and staff.

"Throughout the Australian-first trial we were impressed by our customers' willingness to use reusable mesh produce bags to purchase and reuse when buying fruit and veggies," a Coles spokeswoman said.

"We also acknowledge that a significant change of this kind was challenging for both our customers and in-store teams, however, we remain committed to working towards appropriate and accessible plastic reduction initiatives for our customers moving forward."

Customers should be able to place the new compostable bags into their home compost bins or green bins, the spokeswoman supposed, adding that they were produced from natural plant starch.

More education needed, sustainability expert says

Julie Boulton, a sustainability consultant, claimed that while the actions made by the large grocery chains were appreciated, more could be done to inform the public of the reasons why the adjustments were required.

"You've really got to also educate everyone and just constantly remind people because for so long, we've just been so used to being able to walk in and just grab a bag," she said.

"We need to make sure we're actually bringing everyone along on the journey."

Ms Boulton applauded the "bold" move by supermarkets to ditch plastic bags and ask customers to either bring their own from home or pay more for more environmentally friendly options.

"I think they've done well in taking the decision and being bold because I know for a lot of people it is a really big shift," she said. "But I also think what they could do better is explain why they're doing it and why this is important and ... why they've decided to go on this journey and make the call, and then also talk about all of the reasons behind it.”

Credit: By Niki Burnside and Sarah Richards/ ABC Business 

TLPPACKAGING FOR SHOPPING BAGS