Overview
Nine days after Woolworths implemented its nationwide plastic bag ban, it has reneged on the ban — well, temporarily. After being inundated with complaints from customers in-store and on social media, the supermarket giant this morning posted to Facebook saying it will be giving out free reusable plastic bags until July 8.
The reusable bags, which for the past nine days cost shoppers 15c, are thicker, more durable and are made from 80 percent recycled plastic — and were meant to encourage shoppers to bring them back, again and again, rather than buying a new one each time.
The temporary, complimentary bag offer is only valid in certain states, NSW, Vic, WA and Qld, as the other states and territories have already had single-use plastic bag bans in place for several years (SA leading the pack, introducing it back in 2009).
With Coles set to introduce its nationwide single-use plastic bag ban on Sunday, July 1, it will be interesting to see if the supermarket giant follows Woolworths' lead or, even, delays the start of the ban.
Either way, the supermarkets will need to have their single-use bag bans running soon as Queensland will flat-out ban single-use plastic bags from July 1, and Victoria is set to do the same next year. NSW is yet to announce whether it will join suit.