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Australians shoppers will find fewer plastics on the shelves at most supermarkets as retailers bend to customer demands to reduce waste.

Retail giants Woolworths and Coles, which account for around 70 per cent of the Australian supermarket trade, have announced new goals to reduce plastic products and packaging in response to customers wanting a greener shopping experience.

Woolworths said all its stores in Australia and New Zealand will no longer sell plastic straws by the end of this year.

It also will offer reusable shopping bags when it phases out plastic shopping bags on June 20, and will expand its program to remove plastic wrap from fruit and vegetable for another 80 products.

"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," chief executive Brad Banducci said.

Coles has set a 2020 deadline to make its packaging recyclable and cut food waste by half.

"We know that 69 per cent of customers say that we need to actively reduce waste and landfill through recyclable packaging and find alternative uses for waste," Coles managing director John Durkan said.

Greenpeace Australia welcomed the move by the retailers as a step in the right direction.

"People are infuriated by this. You only have to do a search on social media and see people enraged by apples wrapped in plastic," a spokesman said.

"Plastic bags are used on average for seven minutes and then last for hundreds of years."

Australian Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg on Tuesday said he was delighted that Australia's largest supermarkets were taking robust action to phase out single-use plastic bags.

Coles has committed to phasing out single-use plastic bags as well as reducing plastic wrapping on fruit and vegies and to replacing meat and poultry product packaging with recycled and renewable materials.

"This means billions of these single-use plastic bags and other plastics will no longer take up space in landfill or harm our environment," Mr Frydenberg said.

The Federal Government is also working to cut down on waste produced by ensuring that all Australian packaging will be recyclable, compostable or reusable by 2025 or earlier, he said.

Half of Australia's States and Territories already ban single-use plastic shopping bags.

Another two States - Queensland and WA - will join South Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory with Statewide bans from July 1.

But the most populous states, NSW and Victoria - where more than half the Australian population live - are resisting change.

The European Union has proposed banning plastic products, like straws, to reduce litter spoiling beaches and ocean beds.
AP and AAP

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Supermarkets bow to public pressure in war on plastics

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Australians shoppers will find fewer plastics on the shelves at most supermarkets as retailers bend to customer demands to reduce waste. Retail giants Woolworths and Coles, which account for around 70 per cent of the Australian supermarket trade, have announced new goals to reduce plastic products and packaging in response to customers wanting a greener shopping experience.

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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 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?

The bans

On 20 June, Woolworths will ban all single-use plastic bags from stores nationwide, including the department store Big W and the liquor store BWS. Competitor Coles will follow suit on 30 June. It is estimated that each chain gives out 3.2bn bags a year.

At the same time, the state of Queensland will ban bags from 1 July. South Australia, the Northern Territory, the ACT and Tasmania have already banned lightweight plastic bags.

New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia have not, but the nationwide policy of Woolworths and Coles will de facto remove the bags from most consumers.

On Monday, Woolworths also announced they will be phasing out the sale of plastic straws. By 1 November 2018, no stores will stock them.

What are the alternatives?

Instead of the free single-use bags, Woolworths will sell:

A 15c thick plastic reusable bag

A 99c canvas bag

A $2.49 chiller bag

Coles will sell:

A 15c thick plastic reusable bag

A $1 plastic mix tote bag

A $2 plastic mix shoulder bag

A $2.50 chiller bag

A $3 bag made of jute, a vegetable fibre

But the best thing to do is still to bring your own bags - preferably made of canvas or another non-plastic material.

Because the 15c bags are thicker than the old bags, environment groups warn they could cause more damage if customers start buying them but still throw them out.

When ordering online, customers will be given the choice of the thick plastic bags, or crates to be unpacked at home.

Some independent grocers, such as Harris Farm Markets, have already phased out plastic bags. Harris Farm provides customers with either a cardboard box or crate, or with a paper bag.

What else needs to be done?

Jayne Paramor, the deputy director of the environmental group Boomerang Alliance, said the ban was in many ways inevitable.

"Ultimately [the chains] have done something that most of the state governments in this country have already done. They didn't have much choice. The rest of the country was going down that path anyway."

According to Boomerang Alliance, the next step is to cut down on plastic packaging on food itself, and making sure consumers remember to reuse the new bags.

Tasmania and the ACT have both commissioned reviews of bag use, after worries that customers had begun throwing out the thicker bags. Paramor says the UK has observed the same phenomenon.

"I think there has been some creep back on people relying on the fact they can just buy a bag at the shop," she said.

There has also been no ban yet on produce bags - used to gather loose fruit and vegetables - but Coles have announced their produce bags will soon be made of 30% recycled content.

They have also committed to cutting down the plastic packaging of fruits like bananas, and Woolworths are trialling the removal of packaging from 80 lines of produce.

Both chains will also provide special bins for customers to throw out the new reusable bags if needed, through a program called REDcycle, which turns the bags into plastic products like outdoor furniture. The REDcycle bins will be rolled out to every Woolworths and Coles store by July.

A Coles spokeswoman also said the chain would encourage customers to "bring their bags back every time they shop".

What about the bins?

For those who reuse their plastic bags as bin liners, there are other alternatives.

Paramor recommends that people use paper or newspaper to line their bins, or to simply use the plastic bins and rinse them out afterwards.

A 2012 South Australian review found that after the bag ban, the percentage of households buying bin liners increased. But Paramor said even this was better for the environment.

"They are a better option," she said. "We use far less in the way of bin bags than shopping bags. And bin bags are also built for purpose - they are put into the waste stream and do actually go to the right place, which is landfill. Shopping bags disappear out into the environment.

"At the end of the day we're still keen to see more commitment to recycled content in packaging, and that's an area that the supermarkets could make an impact by demanding more of their own supply chain."
Topics

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

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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 of bags from finding their way into landfill or oceans. But what is and isn't being phased out?

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/06/coles-and-woolworths-plastic-bag-ban-and-the-choices-that-remainhttps://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/06/coles-and-woolworths-plastic-bag-ban-and-the-choices-that-remain

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https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/ditch-problematic-singleuse-items-but-dont-demonise-plastic-sustainability-experts-say/news-story/caf10228bf275e334a545221742062cb

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http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5452150/community-takes-a-stand-against-plastic-bags/http://www.bendigoadvertiser.com.au/story/5452150/community-takes-a-stand-against-plastic-bags/

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1 plastic bag ban : woolworths said removal was a head ache.

2 80 plastic bag clog stomach of dead whale

3 community takes a stand against plastic bags
Ari

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Woolworths says removal was a ‘headache’
80 plastic bags clog stomach of dead whale
Community takes a stand against plastic bags

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-environment-day-un/ban-plastic-bags-un-seeks-to-cut-pollution-as-recycling-falls-short-idUSKCN1J102Q
https://www.der.wa.gov.au/your-environment/wa-plastic-bag-ban
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jun/06/coles-and-woolworths-plastic-bag-ban-and-the-choices-that-remain

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. Woolworths says they have a headache
. WA Plastic Bag Ban mid 2018
. 80 plastic bags clog up whale

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https://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/80-plastic-bags-clog-stomach-of-dead-whale/news-story/62cddc301ff2cc89eaf35aa8c1b65048https://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/80-plastic-bags-clog-stomach-of-dead-whale/news-story/62cddc301ff2cc89eaf35aa8c1b65048

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Community takes a stand against plastic bags
Coles and Woolworths plastic bag ban and the choices that remain
Supermarkets Woolworths and Coles bow to public pressure

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With the two big supermarket chains to phase out single use plastic bags in the coming weeks, one town in Greater Bendigo is going a step further and going entirely plastic bag free.

Elmore community members have been working closely with Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Group to eliminate plastic bags from shops within Elmore. The plastic bag free community launch will be held on Friday June 15 at Campaspe Run.
This advertising feature is sponsored by the following people and businesses. Click on the links to find out more:
Another great local initiative is Boomerang Bags Bendigo, run through the Bendigo Sustainability Group. Volunteers get together to make re-useable 'boomerang bags' using recycled materials, which shoppers can borrow and then return.

Since starting in Australia in 2013, Boomerang Bags has become a global movement, with hundreds of communities all over the world.

Volunteers have already sewn nearly 1500 bags for the people of Bendigo. Boomerang Bags are now located at the Bendigo Student Association, The Old Church on the Hill Community Pantry, Bendigo Wholefoods, Organics Bendigo, Freedom Bakery and the monthly Bendigo Community Farmer's Market.

Sewing bees are held on the third Sunday of every month and everyone is welcome. Fabric donations and volunteer sewers are always welcome. To get involved contact boomerangbagsbendigo@outlook.com.

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Community takes a stand against plastic bags

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With the two big supermarket chains to phase out single use plastic bags in the coming weeks, one town in Greater Bendigo is going a step further and going entirely plastic bag free. Elmore community members have been working closely with Loddon Mallee Waste and Resource Recovery Group to eliminate plastic bags from shops within Elmore.

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1. Wholesale plastic carrying bags
2. Plastic bag ban : Woolworths says removal was a‘headache’
3. 80 plastic bags clog up the stomach of a dead whale

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https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/ditch-problematic-singleuse-items-but-dont-demonise-plastic-sustainability-experts-say/news-story/caf10228bf275e334a545221742062cbhttps://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/ditch-problematic-singleuse-items-but-dont-demonise-plastic-sustainability-experts-say/news-story/caf10228bf275e334a545221742062cb

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1. Ditch ‘problematic’ single-use items but don’t ‘demonise’ plastic, sustainability experts say
2. 80 plastic bags clog stomach of dead whale
3. Coles and Woolworths’ plastic bag ban and the choices that remain

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Plastic bag ban: woolworths says removle was a headache.
80 plastic bags clog stomach of dead whale.
WA plastic bag ban - department of WA water and environmental regulation.

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1) Woolworths says plastic bag removal was a headache
2) 80 plastic bags clog stomach of dead whale
3) community makes a stand against plastic bags

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-WA's ban on lightweight plastic bags

-Coles and Woolworths’ plastic bag ban and the choices that remain
-80 plastic bags clog stomach of dead whale

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https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/ditch-problematic-singleuse-items-but-dont-demonise-plastic-sustainability-experts-say/news-story/caf10228bf275e334a545221742062cbhttps://www.news.com.au/finance/business/retail/ditch-problematic-singleuse-items-but-dont-demonise-plastic-sustainability-experts-say/news-story/caf10228bf275e334a545221742062cb

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-  WA Plastic Bag Ban Departmentof Enironmental Regulation
- Plastic bag (Wikipedia)
-  80 plastic bags clog stomach of dead whale whale

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Woolworths say the MC removal of plastic bags was a MC headache. People found 80 MC plastic bags clogging up dead MC whales stomach. Wa plastic bag MC ban to protect MC environment

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1. plastic bag ban : Woolworths says removal was a ‘headache’
2. Community take some stand against plastic bags
3. 80 plastic bags clog stomach of dea whale

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1. Plastic bag ban: Woolworths says removal was a ‘headache’
2. 80 plastic bags clog stomach of dead whale
3. Coles and Woolworths’ plastic bag ban and the choices that remain

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1- Plastic bag ban: Woolworths say’s removal was a ‘headache’
2- 80 plastic bags clog stomach of a dead whale
3- Community takes a stand against plastic bags

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Plastic bag ban: Woolworths say removal was a headache

80 plastic bags clog stomach of dead whale

WA plastic bag ban: department of water and environmental regulation

- Isabella

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1. Woolworths headache on Plastic bags
Animals dying from Plastic bags
Ban of plastic bags on June 30

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Plastic bags