One resident believes more should be done as supermarkets across Victoria make the move to reusable shopping bags from this week.
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Rosebrook’s Genevieve Grant helped to introduce reusable shopping bags in Port Fairy ten years ago and welcomed the change which bans single-use plastic bags.
Single-use plastic bags were banned from Woolworths supermarkets on Wednesday, IGA stores will follow suit from June 30 as will Coles supermarkets from July 1, with other businesses expected join the campaign.
The move comes after the state government announced in October it would ban single-use, light-weight plastic shopping bags in Victoria.
Port Fairy IGA stopped using plastic bags 10 years ago and owner Colin Cleary welcomed the state wide move.
Mr Cleary said he and other businesses in the town sold bags designed by the town’s two primary school from 2008 and the bags were relaunched in 2016. “We’re only a small town but every little bit helps,” Mr Cleary said.
“Especially being a coastal town you don’t want to see plastic bags floating around all over the place and getting into the waterways and things like that.”
Mr Cleary said they provided boxes, or customers could purchase paper bags or reusable bags and it had become second nature to customers.
Daly’s IGA Supermarket group, which has stores in Koroit, Heywood and Portland, will go plastic bag free from July 1.
Director Peter Daly said they supported the change. “We will offer plastic 100 per cent biodegradable bags at a cost going forward and expect, like the ever growing majority of supermarkets here in Australia and indeed worldwide, our valued customer base to shop with their reusable bags as many of them do so now,” he said.
Ms Grant said the change had taken a long time to be rolled out and more needed to be done.
“It is good but it’s slow,” Ms Grant said. “They all think they’re terribly clever but they’re still making plastic plastic bags for shopping.
“What’s the use of the big supermarkets saying ‘aren’t we marvellous because we’re getting rid of grey single-use plastic bags’ when they’re still giving people the choice of having a full plastic bag alongside the other (reusable fabric) ones.”
She said supermarkets still provided plastic bags for deli meats, bread and produce. “In France they wrap their baguettes and bread in a single sheet of tissue and then hand it to you.
“They don’t put sticky tape on it. They hand it to you and you put it in your shopping bag. It’s that simple.”