Smooth transition from plastic to reusable bags on first day

Monday, 13 August 2018

Countdown store manager James Elliot and customers talk about changing from plastic bags to reusable bags in this video from August.

Southland shoppers appear to have embraced the no plastic bag policy introduced at Countdown stores on Monday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and associate environment minister Eugenie Sage last week announced that single-use plastic bags would be phased out, and hopefully be gone within a year.

'Every year in New Zealand we use hundreds of millions of single-use plastic bags – a mountain of bags, many of which end up polluting our precious coastal and marine environments and cause serious harm to all kinds of marine life,' Ardern said.

All Countdown stores from Dunedin south and in Central Otago removed plastic bags permanently on Monday.

The Tay St store manager James Elliott said informing customers about the reason for change had been a priority.

He and other senior staff will spend a lot their time this week close to the checkouts answering questions and helping customers.

'At busy times of the day, we'll have people at the doors to explain the change,' Elliot said.

'Educating people on why we're doing this is important.'

**READ MORE:

Checkout supervisor Leanne Lix packs a customer's reusable bags at Countdown Tay St in Invercargill on Monday.

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Last week, the store sold 3500 reusable bags.

Elliott said on Monday morning customers appeared comfortable about the change.

Checkout supervisor Christeen Winder and customer David Holi at Countdown Tay St in Invercargill on Monday.

'We need to do this for the environment and we're working with suppliers to limit plastic coming into the store.'

Some bakery items will soon be wrapped in a recyclable plastic. One brand of banana was now arriving in the store without being in a plastic bag.

Countdown customers who shop online are already getting their groceries delivered in paper bags.

Customers Haley Pankhurst, of Wallacetown, and Bronwyn Paterson, of Invercargill, agreed with the removal of plastic bags for environmental reasons.

Customer Bronwyn Paterson supports the move to reusable shopping bags.

'I've been using reusable bags for well over a year, but it's a pain If I forget to bring them,' Pankhurst said.

If that happens, she is happy to buy bags and doesn't mind having extra ones at home for when others wear out.

'They're good to use for other things like going on holiday, packing food and towels for the beach.'

Paterson, who started using reusable bags six months ago, said she supported all the reasons for introducing them.

'It's fantastic, it's been a good thing coming … it's helping the environment.'