Plastic-free stores sell ‘last resort’ plastic bags
Supermarket shoppers are slowly catching onto the trend of bringing their own grocery bags, a Countdown spokeswoman says.
Since mid-May, 10 Countdown stores stopped offering single-use plastic bags, meaning customers had to remember to bring their own, or pay for an ‘‘emergency’’ plastic bag or reusable cloth bag.
Countdown spokeswoman Kiri Hannifin said about 60 per cent of all customers who visited the 10 stores were remembering to bring their own bags.
She would not say how many emergency bags had been sold, but said they were a ‘‘last resort’’ for shoppers. The emergency plastic bags were thicker than a single-use plastic bag and could be used up to 20 times.
Ecoware Food Packaging founder James Calver said reusable bag options should not include more plastic bags.
‘‘I can see Countdown are trying hard to do better, and it’s fantastic that they are making a stance against single-use plastic bags, but using more plastic in a different format isn’t the answer. Once plastic, in any form, is created, we have it forever.’’
Calver visited one of the chain’s 10 plastic-free supermarkets on Saturday, and forgot to bring a bag.
He was offered an emergency plastic bag, which was marketed as reusable, he said.
‘‘While the new Countdown bags are thicker than single-use plastic bags, they are still plastic.’’
Countdown had the opportunity to use its size and market power ‘‘to do something really inspiring with their sustainability’’, Calver said.
Hannifin said the company would review the bag options next year, and make a call on whether the emergency bags were still needed. From August, the emergency plastic bags would be made from up to 80 per cent recycled plastic, she said.
‘‘Wherever possible we want to contribute to the circular economy rather than introduce new plastic.’’
The supermarket’s first preference was for shoppers to bring their own bags, rather than buy one, Hannifin said.
Both the ‘‘emergency’’ plastic bag, and a black Countdownbranded reusable bag, could be recycled in the soft plastics recycling bins at Countdown supermarkets, she said.