Plastic bag-free NZ: What to do if you forget your reusable bags

GRANT MATTHEW/STUFF

Lauree Jones is the force behind Boomerang Bags in Taranaki.

New Zealanders are facing a largely plastic bag-free future, with major supermarket chain owners Progressive Enterprises and Foodstuffs vowing to end their distribution from supermarkets across the country this year.

Reusable bags, already popular among shoppers, will soon become de rigueur, and change is already afoot, with Countdown phasing out single-use plastic bags at 10 of its supermarkets from May 21. All Countdown supermarkets will be plastic bag-free by the end of 2018. Shortly after Countdown's announcement late last year, Foodstuff's chief executive made an analogous announcement regarding its New World supermarkets.

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Kiwis face a plastic bag-free future.

At the time, it was reported New World would give away 2 million reusable bags over summer, based on different promotions, such as how much shoppers spend. In February, New World introduced a 10c voluntary donation per plastic bag, which goes environmental causes. North Island stores have a 5c rebate for each reusable bag.

When asked what options would be available to Countdown customers, a spokeswoman said the company's preference was to BYO bag.

In-house options included a black reusable shopping bag which cost $1 and was made from polypropylene in China, and a black chiller bag which did not have a price on it but was also made in China, from polyester, aluminium foil, and EPE foam.

The $1 bags, which hold up to 12 kilograms, could be recycled in-store.

Countdown's $1 reusable bags are made from polypropylene.

Jute bags, sourced from various suppliers and manufacturers, were available periodically throughout the year.

"We'll have more information about other reusable bag options when the stores start on 21 May."

Meanwhile, a grassroots solution to a worldwide plastic bag problem has been spreading like wildfire. Boomerang Bags are sewn by like-minded volunteers from recycled materials in working bees, and recycled within the communities in which they're made.

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According to boomerangbags.org, "The bags can be given away to friends, family, colleagues, the bag-less stranger in front of you at the supermarket. They can be used to wrap presents in or stashed in your car and handbag so that you're never caught without a reusable bag when you need one."

The shopping bags are meant to be used free of charge, washed if necessary, then returned to collection points across the community for re-use.

The scheme has proved popular in New Zealand, with communities across the country launching their own branches.

A spokeswoman for the Wellington branch said the supermarkets' decision to phase out single-use plastic bags was great news, but it was a shame it hadn't happened sooner.

"And it's a shame that the government is still standing by and expecting businesses to take the lead on something that is directly impacting our environment."

She said Boomerang Bags was a community initiative entirely run by volunteers without the capacity to totally replace plastic bags with their homemade reusable bags.

"But what we can do is instigate conversation around the use of reusable bags and the concept of a shared economy."

- Stuff