The new eco-friendly policy will apply to all of the 27 Vinnies shops between Tweed Heads in the north and Laurieton in the south, according to St Vincent de Paul Society’s North Coast retail operations manager, Kim Boyd.

“From the start of 2018 we are asking people to either bring their own bags or to buy one of the $3 Vinnies-branded cloth bags that will be on sale in the shops,” Ms Boyd said.

“The proceeds from these bags will be used to assist local people in need.

“Discarded plastic bags are doing so much damage to our natural world, especially the marine environment of our beautiful northern coastline.

“Vinnies is pleased to be in the forefront of the increasing push to end plastic bag use in retail outlets.”

North Coast president of St Vincent de Paul Society Yvonne Wynen welcomes the move, saying Vinnies is deeply committed to the environment and sustainable practices.

“Vinnies shops are based on the rescue and re-use of good quality clothing and household items that might otherwise have gone to landfill,” Ms Wynen said.

“Nor are clothing items of secondary quality wasted, as they are bundled together in our processing set-up in Goonellabah, the largest such facility in NSW, and exported to countries in Africa and to PNG where they’re sold in markets.

“Lesser quality clothing is washed and then shredded into clean rags that are sold in 5kg or 10kg packs  known as ‘Vinnies Bag O Rags’. These are very popular with painters, mechanics, car detailers and DIY home improvers.

“Each year Vinnies recycles and reprocesses literally hundreds of tonnes of clothing and sundry goods that would otherwise be wasted.

“Along with helping the environment this earns precious funds that we use to assist people doing it tough in our region.

“The move away from plastic bags reflects our commitment to being good environmental citizens of the North Coast.”