We're all about making the world a greener, more sustainable place. So, it comes as no surprise that our supermarkets are adapting their practices to make this happen.

Just this year, supermarkets and retailers have made significant moves towards being more eco-friendly in their practices.

Coles has stopped selling soft-plastic bags, instead encouraging shoppers to bring and use their reusable bags. ALDI, on a similar note, has also phased out its reusable plastic bags, replacing them with brown paper bags.

Woolworths has been making significant strides in this area, too, although not all Aussie shoppers have been thrilled with their changes.

A new report has revealed that, much to some customers' displeasure, Woolworths has started charging customers for mesh bags to use when buying their fruit and veg instead of giving away free plastic bags.

Woolworths is trialling a new policy where they are charging customers for mesh bags when purchasing produce. Credit: Reddit.

The controversy began when a Woolworths shopper posted a photo of a sign announcing the 'sneaky' new fee on social media. It can be seen that mesh bags, which usually retail for $1.50, were being sold for a discounted rate of 30c.

The photo was taken in Western Australia, and in the accompanying caption, the unhappy customer said: 'What the f*** is this?'

Needless to say, the responses were far from pleasant.

'There's zero chance I'm paying for that,' came a disgruntled reply.

'This is where their next billion profit will be made,' bemoaned another.

The other response was to mock the supermarket's hypocrisy in moving away from single-use plastic bags while continuing to sell pre-packaged produce wrapped in plastic.

'Have they also removed hard-packaged cases for 100g of pre-chopped onions, which used 10000x the amount of plastic?' one person commented sarcastically.

But not everyone joined the choir of appalled shoppers; some more helpful comments suggested an easy solution to the issue.

'Go buy a pack of 80c freezer bags and use them over and over again...it's really not that hard,' one person wrote.

In April 2022, South Australia became the first state to begin using biodegradable vegetable bags as an alternative to traditional packaging, diverting an estimated 70 tonnes of plastic waste annually from landfills–a huge first step in the right direction.

Western Australia is set to follow in their footsteps in March next year, with Woolworths undergoing a six-week trial period in 12 stores statewide to test different bagging solutions.

'Customers shopping in a trial store can choose to go bagless with their fruit and veg purchase or bring their own reusable bag,' a spokesperson said. 'We will also be offering reusable mesh bags.'

'We understand this will be an adjustment for customers, and we'd like to thank our customers for helping us to prepare for the WA Government's upcoming ban on single-use fruit and veg bags,' they added.

Key Takeaways

• Woolworths is charging customers up to 30c for mesh bags to use when purchasing fruits and vegetables in select stores, sparking frustration among some customers.
• The supermarket giant is encouraging customers to bring in their own reusable bags for fruit and vegetables to reduce plastic waste.
• This change comes after South Australia became the first state where Woolworths introduced compostable fruit and vegetable bags, diverting up to 70 tonnes of plastic waste from landfills annually.
• A spokesperson said customers can choose between buying the mesh bags, carrying the produce on their own, or bringing their own bags for their purchases.
• Woolworths is currently trialling different bagging options in 12 stores across Western Australia in preparation for the state's ban on single-use fruit and vegetable bags, effective from March next year.

Members, we'd love to hear your thoughts on Woolworths' way of being more sustainable and eco-friendly. Share with us your take on the matter in the comments below.

In the meantime, we wish you the best in your shopping–and make sure you're double-checking those receipts!

 

[Catherines]

I am with you, I made my own recyclable bags from fabric left over from costumes. They work well & are easily washed each week. Pity I can't sew well now as I have many still to sew up.

Nana Zorak - if you have trouble with age or arthritis getting the better of you, perhaps one of your family or a friend might like to spend an afternoon tea with you while they sew a couple up. That would be an enjoyable afternoon and company.

 

[Catherines]

It is unreasonable to expect anyone to put unbagged fresh produce into the questionably "clean" trolleys provided by supermarkets.

Do you know who touches anything, leave alone fruit & vegetables, that you take home from your shops, including tinned& packaged goods? Don’t you wash these items before preparation, in well-salted water?? I do. Anything, everything and anywhere we go outside of our homes has germs that others have left there (including the mail the postman leaves) - up to us to take the necessary precautions. It’s time we stopped whingeing if we don’t do the necessary to protect ourselves.

 

[MariaG]

We're all about making the world a greener, more sustainable place. So, it comes as no surprise that our supermarkets are adapting their practices to make this happen.

Just this year, supermarkets and retailers have made significant moves towards being more eco-friendly in their practices.

Coles has stopped selling soft-plastic bags, instead encouraging shoppers to bring and use their reusable bags. ALDI, on a similar note, has also phased out its reusable plastic bags, replacing them with brown paper bags.

Woolworths has been making significant strides in this area, too, although not all Aussie shoppers have been thrilled with their changes.

A new report has revealed that, much to some customers' displeasure, Woolworths has started charging customers for mesh bags to use when buying their fruit and veg instead of giving away free plastic bags.

View attachment 28869

Woolworths is trialling a new policy where they are charging customers for mesh bags when purchasing produce. Credit: Reddit.

The controversy began when a Woolworths shopper posted a photo of a sign announcing the 'sneaky' new fee on social media. It can be seen that mesh bags, which usually retail for $1.50, were being sold for a discounted rate of 30c.

The photo was taken in Western Australia, and in the accompanying caption, the unhappy customer said: 'What the f*** is this?'

Needless to say, the responses were far from pleasant.

'There's zero chance I'm paying for that,' came a disgruntled reply.

'This is where their next billion profit will be made,' bemoaned another.

The other response was to mock the supermarket's hypocrisy in moving away from single-use plastic bags while continuing to sell pre-packaged produce wrapped in plastic.

'Have they also removed hard-packaged cases for 100g of pre-chopped onions, which used 10000x the amount of plastic?' one person commented sarcastically.

But not everyone joined the choir of appalled shoppers; some more helpful comments suggested an easy solution to the issue.

'Go buy a pack of 80c freezer bags and use them over and over again...it's really not that hard,' one person wrote.

In April 2022, South Australia became the first state to begin using biodegradable vegetable bags as an alternative to traditional packaging, diverting an estimated 70 tonnes of plastic waste annually from landfills–a huge first step in the right direction.

Western Australia is set to follow in their footsteps in March next year, with Woolworths undergoing a six-week trial period in 12 stores statewide to test different bagging solutions.

'Customers shopping in a trial store can choose to go bagless with their fruit and veg purchase or bring their own reusable bag,' a spokesperson said. 'We will also be offering reusable mesh bags.'

'We understand this will be an adjustment for customers, and we'd like to thank our customers for helping us to prepare for the WA Government's upcoming ban on single-use fruit and veg bags,' they added.

Key Takeaways

• Woolworths is charging customers up to 30c for mesh bags to use when purchasing fruits and vegetables in select stores, sparking frustration among some customers.
• The supermarket giant is encouraging customers to bring in their own reusable bags for fruit and vegetables to reduce plastic waste.
• This change comes after South Australia became the first state where Woolworths introduced compostable fruit and vegetable bags, diverting up to 70 tonnes of plastic waste from landfills annually.
• A spokesperson said customers can choose between buying the mesh bags, carrying the produce on their own, or bringing their own bags for their purchases.
• Woolworths is currently trialling different bagging options in 12 stores across Western Australia in preparation for the state's ban on single-use fruit and vegetable bags, effective from March next year.

Members, we'd love to hear your thoughts on Woolworths' way of being more sustainable and eco-friendly. Share with us your take on the matter in the comments below.

In the meantime, we wish you the best in your shopping–and make sure you're double-checking those receipts!

I come from the era where it was the grocer's paper bag or box, and my own string bag.
I think we need to get off our pity pot and just get on with things. How hard is it to bring your own bags. It you don't want to pay, don't buy. The checkout operator (if there is one), will just have to weight the loose fruit/veg. No biggie. Keeps them in a job.