Overview
The #BanTheBag campaign has scored a major win, with New South Wales grocer Harris Farm Markets making good on its promise to ditch single-use plastic bags entirely. As of today, shoppers at all of the retailer's stores will now choose between the more planet-friendly options of bringing or purchasing a reusable bag, or taking advantage of Harris Farm's free paper bags and cardboard boxes.
The family-owned store is now the first major retailer to do away with plastic bags at the registers, with competitors Woolworths and Coles expected to phase out their own by the end of the year.
Harris Farm has long been a vocal supporter of minimising plastic bag use and and it's continuing the push, calling for the NSW Government to enforce a statewide ban on the single-use bags.
South Australia, the ACT, the Northern Territory and Tasmania already have a full ban in place, with Western Australia and Queensland enforcing their own from July 1 this year. Victoria is expected to announce a start date for its statewide ban in the coming months.
Here's hoping we won't be waiting too long for other big-name retailers to follow stop stocking plastic bags altogether.