Plastic bags sold for 15 cents at Woolworths will be gradually removed from stores in NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania from today. The phase-out will end with plastic bags being banned from sale in all Woolworths stores in Australia.
Woolworths estimates that the removal in NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania will cut out over 9,000 tonnes of plastic from circulation in the nation each year.
The 15-cent bags were introduced by Woolworths after they removed single-use plastic bags in 2018. They were touted as a measure to help customers transition away from single-use plastics.
Has Woolworths banned plastic bags across Australia?
Plastic bags have already been phased out in the rest of Australia, and are planned to be removed entirely by June.
The following changes will take place in NSW, Victoria, and Tasmania from today:
- 15-cent plastic bags will be removed from all stores by June 2023.
- 25-cent reusable paper bags will remain available to shoppers.
- The 99-cent reusable tote bags will also still be available.
What has Coles done?
Australia’s other supermarket giant, Coles, has also phased out single-use plastics.
They also introduced an alternative – the Coles ‘Better Bags’. They’re 15c plastic bags designed to be used multiple times by shoppers.
The Better Bags were removed from stores in Western Australia last year, but remain available in Coles stores in every other state and territory.
