Supermarket ban sees ‘80% drop’ in plastic bag consumption nationwide
The ban on single-use plastic bags by Australia’s two largest supermarketsprevented the introduction of an estimated 1.5bn bags into the environment, and the retail industry is hopeful this is only the beginning.Coles and Woolworths’ decided to stop offering single-use disposable plastic bags midway through the year after years of campaigning by environmental groups and consumers.
Some shoppers objected to the change at the time but many others were strongly in support and three months on the change has translated to an 80% drop in the consumption of plastic bags nationwide, according to the National Retail Association.“Indeed, some retailers are reporting reduction rates as high as 90%,” the NRA’s David Stout said on Sunday.