Woolworths has announced that it’s single-use plastics bags have been removed from its stores, nationally.
With the rest of Australia’s supermarkets gearing up to stop using plastic bags on July 1, 2018, it seems Woolworths couldn’t wait any longer and has said it is removing more than 3.2 billion single-use plastic bags from circulation, every year, from today.
Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said: “From the beginning, we felt strongly that this was the right thing to do and we’re really pleased to see customers are behind the change as well.
“This is a landmark day for us not just as a business, but for our customers and communities, to help support a greener future for Australia. We are proud to say that from now on, single-use plastic bags are gone from stores, for good.
“We know it may take some time for shoppers to form new habits, which is why we’ve been working hard to get the message out to customers to remember to bring their own bags over the past few months. Putting ‘reusable bags’ at the top of your shopping list, keeping a couple in the car or leaving a note on the fridge are some simple tricks that could work as a reminder.”
From today, customers who forget to bring their own bags will have access to a range of new alternative shopping bags, including a new 15¢ reusable bag made from at least 80 per cent recycled plastic. This is also an emergency foldable bag and the Woolworths Bag for Good, which are available for 99¢.
“Our Bag for Good is an unprecedented offering for our customers when it comes to reusable bags,” Mr Banducci said. “It costs 99¢ and when it gets damaged, we will replace it for free, no matter when they bought it from us.”