A few hours after Woolworths announced that it is phasing out single-use plastic bags at its stores across the country, Coles made a similar announcement to stop using plastic bags.
The supermarket giant confirmed that it is implementing the phase out at its stores in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.
The move will put the stores into line with Coles supermarkets in South Australia, the Northern Territory and ACT, which have laws banning single-use plastic bags.
Queensland has legislated a similar ban, which will take effect on 1 July 2018.
Transition
Coles Chief Customer Officer Simon McDowell said the company has been working towards the announcement for some time now as it improves environmental outcomes throughout its business.
To help customers adjust to the coming ban, Coles is making sure that the transition will be smooth.
“We know customers like the convenience of single-use bags, so we’ll make sure we have plenty of other options for them if they forget to bring their own bags from home,” said Mr McDowell.
Coles is already encouraging shoppers to bring reusable bags and is providing recycling bins for soft plastics at 630 of its stores.
As part of the phase-out, the supermarket will provide a range of reusable bags at different prices.
