Hastings Co-op is leading the charge to keep the Hastings clean and green by phasing out single-use plastic bags in its three IGA supermarkets from July 1.
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Approximately two million single-use plastic bags are used at Hastings Co-op’s Timbertown, Wauchope and Port Macquarie IGAs each year, but that’s all about to change.
The community-owned co-operative will be encouraging a BYO shopping bag culture, as well as offering reusable bag options at a minimal cost.
“Change has been in the air for some time, and the decision to go plastic bag-free was an easy one – and the right one for our customers and the environment,” chief executive officer Allan Gordon said.
“We’ve listened to customers and they’ve told us they want to be more environmentally conscious. In the first six months alone, we will save one million bags, which is a substantial win for the environment.
“We already have a range of sustainability initiatives - such as solar power, providing cardboard boxes, the reverse vending machines and reducing plastics in our produce departments – but we wanted to take it one step further and work with the community in protecting the local environment.”
Single-use plastic bags will be progressively phased out from July 1, and a levy will be introduced from October 1.
“Customers will be encouraged to either bring their own bag or purchase a reusable bag at the supermarket from October 1,” he said.
“We will all have to adjust and do things different initially, but the long-term benefits are immeasurable.”
Australians use an estimated five billion plastic bags a year, which is 13 million new bags every day. An estimated 3.76 billion bags or 20,700 tonnes of plastic are disposed of in landfill sites throughout Australia every year.
Australians dump 7,150 recyclable plastic bags into landfills every minute. Around 50 million bags enter the Australian litter stream every year.
