Supermarkets on track to ditching single-use plastic bags

Saturday, 4 August 2018

More than 40 countries across the world have taken legislative action to reduce their usage of single-use plastic bags.

Supermarket brands New World and Countdown are expected to make good on their public promise to get rid of single-use plastic bags by the end of this year.

On Friday, Foodstuffs managing director Steve Anderson said its supermarket brands, including New World, Pak 'n Save and Four Square, would stop providing plastic checkout bags from December 31, 2018. But Liquorland is only expected to end the use of single-use plastic bags by February 2019.

Last year, New World announced it too would go plastic bag free days after competitor Countdown's announcement.

Anderson said four stores in the Foodstuffs network had already gone plastic bag free, and three more would go plastic free at the end of this month.

* Foodstuffs: Kiwis aren't quite ready to go plastic bag free

Foodstuffs managing director Steve Anderson says New World had seen more than a 20 per cent drop in plastic bag usage in its stores since its announcement last year.

* Countdown to ban all single use plastic bags by 2018

Anderson said New World had seen more than a 20 per cent drop in plastic bag usage in its stores since its announcement last year.

From January 1, 2019, 350 million plastic bags would be removed from circulation following Foodstuffs decision, Anderson said.

'By the end of March next year we will have given away a reusable bag to pretty much every New Zealander.'

Countdown has 10 supermarkets that have gone plastic bag free and will phase out bags from 42 other stores in two weeks. This will be a third of all its 182 stores.

Countdown claims 4.2m single-use plastic bags have been removed from circulation as a result of the first ten stores removing plastic bags.

Countdown's head of corporate affairs Kiri Hannifin said the company had also removed plastic packaging from bananas, and will be removing single-use plastic straws by 1 October.

Foodstuffs claims 250 million plastic bags would be removed from circulation once its plastic free roll out is completed.

Hannifin said plastic bags at Countdowns around the country would be phased out by the end of the year, but they did not provide a specific date.

The company has also committed to moving its in-store bakery products into New Zealand-made recycled plastic, which is sourced from onshore domestic plastic waste.

A month ago, Woolworths in Australia backtracked on its plastic bag ban because customers refused to pay A15c (NZ16c) for plastic bags at the checkout.

Queensland legislation passed in September 2017 banned single-use plastic bags from being provided in supermarkets, takeaway stores, pharmacies, goods sold online and markets from July 1, 2018.

The supermarket giant said it would hand out free reusable plastic bags for 10 days after stores were inundated with complaints from customers who refused to pay for bags or did not have enough of their own stored up.

But Anderson said Kiwis would not react the same way.

'We don't anticipate the same reaction in New Zealand. Perhaps it's because Kiwis are keener to look after what we have.'

Before committing to ditching plastic bags, New World carried out a survey asking customers if they wanted a charge of 10 cents or 5c, or no charge on single-use plastic bags.

The majority asked for a 10c charge, but an overwhelming number of shoppers contacted New World owner Foodstuffs asking for a total ban option.

New World charges a 10c voluntary donation per plastic bag, and Countdown has a 15c charge for its plastic bags at its plastic free stores.

Countdown also sells a recyclable bag for $1 which can be brought back into the store and replaced for free when it breaks down.