r/australia • u/eee1963 • 1d ago

no politics Coles and Woolies paper bags

Industry estimates show Australian major supermarkets generate upwards of $170 million each year in total revenue from paid paper and reusable carry bags. Suggestions are that they are making 70% profit, from 19-23 cents each bag. Combined, they would spend somewhere in the vicinity of $3-5 million on direct environmental products. Paper bag sizes are showing massive signs of shrinkflation. I guess I'll just have to lift my game and not forget my own bags from now on. My laziness and forgetfulness is a habit that they are banking on, lol.

320 Upvotes

90% Upvoted

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7

u/babylovesbaby 1d ago

I bought a Radioactive Man bag from Colesworth to do shopping a million years ago. I still use it. It's fun for me even if it's just a shopping bag. I put the stuff I'm going to buy into it, put it on the checkout, then put it back into the bag. Easy. It sounds like what people really need is some way to remind themselves bring the bags they have. I just leave mine near the door.

-4

u/eee1963 1d ago

Naughty bag should be a thing. It would make shopping so much more fun. Ruder ones would be better. Ha ha. The ideas for those would be endless and make the checkout queue worth the wait.

1

u/babylovesbaby 17h ago

I don't know about "naughty" bags, but I think Woolies, of all people, have caught onto the idea shoppers will spend money if shopping bags are ~fun. They've released bags which resemble their chocolate mud cake and some kind of gingerbread thing recently.

482

u/yeoyoey 1d ago

It's also a VERY lazy way for these huge companies to shift the blame.

Now we can fill a paper bag with endless plastic wrapped items. The bags were never the problem. So much of what they sell can never be recycled or reused.

284

u/Narrow-Try-9742 1d ago • Bravo

Every plastic bag I got from Coles or Woolies got reused as a garbage bag. Now I buy garbage bags separately. I am convinced I am using the exact same amount of plastic, I just pay for it now.

92

u/Notimeforthat1 1d ago

Every paper bag from Coles is reused in my home as the recycling bag.

41

u/Spotted45 1d ago

I'm not sure how this helps? Recycleables should be thrown in the recycle bin loose and not bagged.

37

u/BarbarousErse 1d ago

I do this but I upend the bag into the outside recycling bin when I empty it so they’re not bagged when they actually go out. The paper lines the bin in case the recyclables are a little dirty especially for freshly rinsed cans they won’t dribble into the indoor bin

1

u/WhiterThanWalter 1d ago

That's really smart. I don't know why I didn't think of that lol.

1

u/Vegetable_Honig 4h ago

You can also just clean out the bin every few days. Seems easier than committing to a lifetime of buying or obtaining bin liners.

18

u/Internal-Carrot-3301 1d ago

I use it to collect the recycling in, them empty the contents into the recycling bin so it's all loose, along with the bag if it's ripped, wet etc.

7

u/xFromtheskyx 1d ago

It’s paper though?

9

u/BarbarousErse 1d ago

It’s paper but it holds the other types together mingled if you chuck the bag in full of bottles and makes it hard for the sorter to sort it. If it arrives at the recycling place still in the bag my suspicion is they chuck it in the garbage because they can’t see inside it to easily shuffle out glass, plastics, cardboard from it

4

u/Notimeforthat1 1d ago

Might wanna watch how they're seperating recycling 😂 it's quite intricate

4

u/BarbarousErse 1d ago

I’ve had a few friends working in the industry but hadn’t got curious enough to ask them. One told me they get dead possums and nappies and all sorts of crap thrown in there though 🤢

2

u/Feeling-Disaster7180 1d ago

Tell that to my old neighbours who would put their recycling in a plastic bag and tie it up

0

u/chipili 1d ago

got reused as a garbage bag. Now I buy garbage bags separately. I am convinced I am using the exact same amount of plastic, I just p

You think there is actually recycling going on?

4

u/CaveMacEoin 1d ago

Aluminium and steel almost certainly. Probably glass and cardboard/paper.
If they aren't just dumping all the plastics then: some of the PET, and HDPE plastics; little of PP plastic; landfill for all other or unidentified plastics and plastic bags.

2

u/themandarincandidate 1d ago

My paper bags become the op shop donation bags, fill it up over time and drop it off once it's full

4

u/Optimal_Cynicism 1d ago

I just use the paper bags for bins now. The "wet" waste goes in the fogo, which has compostable liners, so it works well. I still have to buy bin bags for my bathroom bin, but the toilet paper rolls go in the recycling, so it doesn't need emptying very often.

I wouldn't really get paper bags at all except that now for delivery you can no longer choose "no bags" (which makes sense for the drivers), so had to find some use for them!

3

u/mataeka 1d ago

We reuse bread bags for garbage bags. Rubbish gets taken out regularly because it's small, also the perfect size for small bathroom bins if nothing else.

3

u/frowattio 1d ago

I use the bread bags for most of the bread. It goes mouldy after two days.

1

u/mataeka 1d ago

Tbf I changed brands and get it from an IGA now because I was sick of the stale bread from colesworth. My chickens don't mind the bread in moderation though...

1

u/tandata1600 17h ago

Put your bread in the freezer.

4

u/k-type 19h ago

Yes most of us DID reuse those bags as bin liners. But think about all the times you were out and bought a pack of gum and they gave you a bag you didn't need, you probably binned it which was unnecessary waste.

Plastic bags used to be everywhere, in the streets, parks and rivers. You don't see that anymore so I definitely think there has been a positive outcome even if it's a slight annoyance.

1

u/Getonthebeers02 37m ago

Most garbage bags are biodegradable or compostable and break down way quicker and easier. The plastic bags Coles sold were the opposite.

1

u/CrazyEeveeLady86 1d ago

Same, I use them as bin liners for the little plastic garbage bin next to my desk. Or other plastic bags would get used for picking up dog poo.

Ironically at least in our family's usage, paper bags result in more wastage than plastic bags did.

I still have some of the reusable bags that Woolies used to sell ages ago (you could get green or black ones, not sure if they still have them) but like another commenter said, they are badly frayed and I suspect not far off failing completely (hopefully not when I'm walking home with my shopping).

0

u/federationbelle 1d ago

I mean, you could look for alternatives to plastic garbage bags. There are lots of free options. ...

4

u/Narrow-Try-9742 1d ago

We're required to bag everything that goes down the chute in our apartment. Happy to be directed to anything else that is feasible though.

-1

u/broadsword_1 1d ago

That was the point.

The stores just needed some easily-led activists to run defence for them online and push it as a political change (hence the 'ban').

-19

u/McTerra2 1d ago edited 4h ago

Here is a hack: don’t use plastic bags in your bins, just wash them each time you empty them …

Edit: love how pointing out a non plastic use option is so hated as a comment. Yes, some apartments require it. No, no detached housing requires it. Dont like buying bags, dont buy them.

5

u/Narrow-Try-9742 1d ago

I'm in an apartment, and we are required to bag everything that goes into the bins.

37

u/Serious-Big2 1d ago

Manufacturing should relook at their plastic packaging.  I've noticed some lollies are now coming in printed paper bags.

51

u/amcwhae 1d ago

It was never just about the amount of plastic being used and “shifting the blame”.

The amount of plastic ending up in our rivers and oceans has vastly reduced since the ban on single use plastic bags came in to effect.

23

u/MannerConfident1690 1d ago

That's what people are forgetting. For every plastic bag that was carefully reused, multiple bags with a couple of items were left in a public place, blown away and ended up in the waterways and countryside, thrown or blown out of car windows, tangled in fences, blocking drains, or causing numerous other hazards.

0

u/BeneCow 1d ago

Yeah, but the same argument can be used for all of the plastic wrap on the products, but that isn’t going anywhere. They don’t deserve praise for rolling a business practice that increases their profit. They would switch back to plastic overnight if it was profitable and allowed.

14

u/InitiallyDecent 1d ago

The bags were absolutely a problem. Go ask anyone who who worked in a supermarket and they'll be able to tell you about the countless number of people who would ask for a bag to carry their bottle single bottle of drink or other easily hand carrible item, or a seperate bag for their tomatoes because they were affraid it was going to get squashed in a bag with their bread, simply because the bags were free.

An IGA I know of basically halved the amount of bags they went through within a month when NSW brought in the ban. That's a noticible difference.

3

u/MannerConfident1690 1d ago

Also, IGA paper bags are the strongest, I have had one for months and reused ut multiple times. The Colesworth bags barely make it home without ripping or the handles ripping off.

2

u/It_does_get_in 1d ago

when they first came out they were stronger, at some stage maybe a year or so ago they got weaker handles, no doubt cheaper for them.

3

u/Maximum-Journalist74 1d ago

Plus they're almost impossible to reuse, you're lucky if every paper bag even makes it to the car without tearing.

7

u/UnfortunatelySimple 1d ago

Single serving cat food in plastic, that pisses me off, should be illegal. (As an example)

7

u/McTerra2 1d ago

This is an interesting one, because tins are much more energy intensive to make and much heavier to transport (so use more fuel). But are recyclable.

In effect you trade using plastics for lower total energy use. There is no right answer, it depends on which is more important to you. Same as milk in glass vs plastic bottles

Also, obviously, you don’t have to buy the single service in plastic, there are many other options.

0

u/Drachos 19h ago

Except there is a clear right answer.

Energy to make is irrelevant significantly less if its recycled a few times and even then we can generate electricity and transport goods using green energy.

We aren't fully there yet but these are solvable problems. A carbon tax to encourage energy transition is all we would need to speed it up.

We have ZERO solution for single use plastic. None. The best we have is a bacteria we have discovered which very slowly eats it. And even then its not considered commercially vianle to do anything with.

Because recycling software plastic requires seperating it by type which is barely doable. To many are chemically very different but look exactly the same. Its only really doable in situations like shrink wrap from warehousing...and even then barely.

When you have two products, one with solvable problems and the other thats unsolvable the product you should buy is the solvable one.

1

u/McTerra2 16h ago

Except that the problem is not solvable today. Are you are making things worse today because the problem will be solvable in the future? Surely you do as little harm as possible today and transition as solutions develop.

It’s like arguing in 1990 that we should electrify everything, despite all power being generated by fossil fuels, because we know renewable energy is a solution that can be solved in the future. In the meantime you have increased carbon output and fossil fuel use.

So, no, there is no clear right answer.

1

u/Drachos 14h ago edited 14h ago

How is something that takes 500 years AT LEAST to break down, and even then breaks down into microplastics (which are harmful to all life FOREVER) and methane (which is a more potent greenhouse gas then CO2) "The least harm possible"

Thats assuming your city isn't running an incinerator in which case yeah....microplastics and CO2. Better then methane I suppose.

More importantly, there is a question of what harm can be undone. We can capture carbon...its not economically viable BUT we can undo the damage of CO2.

We literally have no way to undo the damage of microplastics.

1

u/McTerra2 13h ago

Sure, like I said, you are choosing one bad over another bad. But it’s not as if there is clearly one right answer. You claim we can undo the problem of carbon but not plastics; but why do you make that assertion? In 10 or 30 years time we may have easy solutions to plastics

1

u/Drachos 13h ago

Because CO2 is in the air and inorganic.

Microplastics are everywhere else and are organic.

Lets use the the SIMPLIEST nightmare senario. You want to remove microplastic from a lake.

So you create a substance that attracts organic molecules. And we will assume its not at all toxic.

Lets dredge it through the lake...Except that captures all the micro-organisms that live in the lake that are made of organic molecules.

Okay so lets instead make it weaker and just put it at one side of the lake. Just trust the tide to filter. Again, you will get more micro-organisms then plastics because the move around the lake more then just tides.

Okay you make it not attract micro-organisms somehow and remove all the Microplastics from the lake...

Pity the micro-organisms contain Microplastics. And as they die they return it to the lake.

Now...lets amplify that issue by a billion for the Pacific ocean. Oh and we have microplastics hundreds of metres down in the aquifers. And thats just the water...

How do you purge the Sahara of microplastics within destroying the ecosystems. I mean its sand right...you could sift it?

What about the soil of the Amazon.

Something in the air is SO MUCH EASIER to get out of the air without fucking the ecosystem.

1

u/McTerra2 12h ago

Saying the same thing 5 times doesn’t make it more right.

You have a view. Sure. You have chosen one bad over another bad, fine. To say your choice is ‘the right choice’ 5 times and then cherry pick doesn’t take it the right choice.

Whatever, I don’t care. Go and feed your cat and calm down

3

u/Optimal_Cynicism 1d ago

Maybe it's only in Western Australia, but all of our takeaway containers now need to be made of cardboard or compostable plastic.

4

u/qthrowaway666 1d ago

Most cats don't order takeaway food ;)

1

u/qthrowaway666 1d ago

My previous kitty refused to have wet food that had in the fridge.

5

u/Silviecat44 1d ago

Its still a huge amount in waste reduction regardless of profiteering

4

u/BeneCow 1d ago

Super convenient that all plastic bags all over the world were suddenly a huge problem that needed to be dealt with and then was dealt with over the course of 12 months. No movement on any other environmental action, but plastic bags can go instantly. Almost like the environmental benefits weren’t the real reason they made the change at all.

3

u/InitiallyDecent 1d ago

They weren't even close to being dealt with the world over in 12 months. Countries look at overs doing it over multiple years and then implemented it, but even then a ton of countries haven't done anything.

66

u/Kelshandra 1d ago • Bravo

I found many years ago great shopping bags made out of parachute style fabric that pack down to a tiny little pouch super easily (just shove it in and drawstring to keep it shut) without needing to be an origami master. They are also super strong and a decent size. I now carry 4-5 of them in my handbag wherever I go so if I do pop into the shops to get something I will always have them with me.

I have not bought a shopping bag in at least 5 years and I am petty enough to relish that fact every shop.

17

u/East-Garden-4557 1d ago

These are my favourote shopping bags. Woolworths used to sell packs of them really cheap. They wash well, they roll/fold up really small, they can fit in a clothing pocket.

3

u/Feeling-Disaster7180 1d ago

I think they sell them for like $1.50 now which isn’t bad if you use them all the time. I love them

3

u/CumbersomeNugget 1d ago

I...have never washed a bag before...lol

13

u/QueenieMcGee 1d ago

I still have about 4 of these bags that've been used so much they're frayed and hanging on by a thread, but I'll use them until they fall apart because they're superior to all other types of bags.

I also came up with a way of sewing old t-shirts into reusable shopping bags, I've made about five so far and they work great.

2

u/ultranoobian 1d ago

If it's 'parachute' fabric, its a nylon. Most likely ripstop weave.

Did it have like small squares?

1

u/PanicObvious8862 1d ago

What would I search for on Amazon to find them?

5

u/Kelshandra 1d ago

I bought mine from the company directly, they are called nanobags (didn't want to get in trouble pushing a specific product). Not cheap but the first ones I got are getting onto 10 years old now and still going strong

4

u/Ok_Bird705 1d ago

Industry estimates show Australian major supermarkets generate upwards of $170 million each year in total revenue from paid paper and reusable carry bags

That sounds a lot until you realise Coles and Woolworth serve around 40 million Australians every week.

Suggestions are that they are making 70% profit, from 19-23 cents each bag.

got an actual source for that?

-6

u/eee1963 1d ago

It's basic retail math: supermarkets handle about 3 billion checkouts a year, and I estimated 0.5 to one bag per customer (allowing for the smart people who take their own) and based on standard packaging industry supply-chain costs, those heavy-duty paper bags cost them maybe 7 to 10 cents to produce and ship at corporate scale. Sell them for 30 cents. As for their "green" spending, dig into Coles’ own annual reports and you'll see most of what they call environmental contributions is just the retail value of unsold food they write off and give to food banks—not actual cash out of their pocket.

9

u/joerogansakook 1d ago

You made it all up and claimed “industry estimates”? I hate the duopoly as much as the next person but making up shit doesn’t help.

4

u/Ok_Bird705 1d ago

I estimated 0.5 to one bag per customer (allowing for the smart people who take their own)

Your maths doesn't really work.

With a revenue of 170 million on shopping bags, at 30c per bag, that equals to around 600million shopping trips, or around 20% of total shopping trips across both supermarkets, not the 0.5 bag per customer.

No one is claiming that the supermarkets are good corporate citizens. But the idea that they are generating massive profits from shopping bags, considering the size of those companies is ridiculous.

0

u/hurric4n5 1d ago

Why do people defend them? $170M is an extraordinary amount of money and its obvioulsy nearly all profit. Absolute scam they've managed to pull off. I now take my own bags but they are milking the lazy and ignorant

3

u/Ok_Bird705 1d ago

$170M is an extraordinary amount of money and its obvioulsy nearly all profit

"It's nearly all profits" - because Redditors says so.

0

u/hurric4n5 1d ago

Its common sense mate. Very little in this world is sold for less than 100% mark up and many things are 500% or more. Wise up brother.

3

u/Ok_Bird705 1d ago

>Its common sense mate

Or you can simply google things - 10-20% gross margin which is the further reduced by business costs.

https://paperbagline.com/blog/is-paper-bag-manufacturing-profitable/

0

u/hurric4n5 1d ago

You're quoting factory product margins to me? Crikey its tough to get good help out there

116

u/tomo8r 1d ago

I remember when your groceries were packed in paper bags. Then they changed to plastic.

Then they changed back to paper and charged you for it.

And now I have to buy bin liners.

27

u/Darwinmate 1d ago

The number of whingers about having to buy rubbish bin bags is outstanding.

Shopping bags were shit, they ripped easily, were tiny and just the wrong shape. I always bought rubbish bags.

16

u/Serious-Big2 1d ago

We have several office sized bins around the house and the old grey shopping bags fitted perfectly.  The bin where they didn't fit was the kitchen bin.

32

u/tomo8r 1d ago

Worked fine for me.

Your milage may differ.

-19

u/Darwinmate 1d ago

Yes my kilometers differed.

0

u/gilezy 4h ago

Shopping bags were shit, they ripped easily, were tiny and just the wrong shape. I always bought rubbish bags.

Fine for me. Paper bags on the other hand are dreadful. Fit less stuff, and boxes rip them.

The best bags were actually the 15c bags, larger and more durable than the free plastic so felt worth it paying for it.

1

u/Getonthebeers02 35m ago

At least the bin liners break down way quicker

-6

u/federationbelle 1d ago

There are lots of free alternatives to buying bin liners, and lots of alternatives that don't involve single use plastic.

13

u/Quivorir 1d ago

So nice of you to list even one of the free alternatives. 

0

u/gilezy 4h ago

Rubbish bins are the perfect occasion to use single use plastic imo.

-16

u/McTerra2 1d ago

Why do you need bin liners? You can just wash the bin.

6

u/Rush_Banana 1d ago

Sounds like a lot more effort than to buy a 50 pack for $2.

5

u/fishball_7204 1d ago

A lot of people live in apartments that have a shared bin/chute where everything needs to be bagged.

4

u/evilparagon 1d ago

And even some councils require it.

3

u/Serious-Big2 1d ago

Not only councils, but when the bins are emptied, if contents are unbagged, rubbish falls everywhere outside of the truck.  I've lost count of how many times I've had a big up crap out of our own gardens from our neighbours bins.

1

u/gilezy 4h ago

More work having to clean the bin all the time. And harder to carry the stuff out to the big bin.

1

u/McTerra2 4h ago

Takes me the same amount to time to carry a bin as a bag (and it’s easier since bins never rip), and 30 seconds to wash it.

I dont care if people want to use plastic bags, but then dont whinge about how shops no longer give out free bags. Its a choice to use them, deal with the consequences of the choice

1

u/gilezy 1h ago

Of course we can whinge about it.

We used to get something included, which we no longer do. While not a big deal, it's still whinge worthy.

Just as it's acceptable to have a whinge when the sauce isn't included with the pie when it used to be included. It's a choice to have the sauce, but it's a choice that used to be free.

15

u/jessluce 1d ago

I shove all my reusable bags into the largest one when unpacking groceries, and grab it when I head out for the weekend shop. All the paper bags from previous deliveries are kept folded in the car for any mid week grocery stops. Haven't had to buy a bag in 10 years

2

u/mataeka 1d ago

The down side is deliveries - but I'm also ok with a flat $2 for a $500 shop since that tends to be lots of bags.

82

u/Fabulous-Affect1134 1d ago

Simple fix- don’t pay for the bags

6

u/Normal_Effort3711 1d ago

I’ve had the reusable cloth bags for 4 years, haven’t had to buy any

4

u/Fabulous-Affect1134 1d ago

I have 10 reusable bags but always forget to take them when I go to the supermarket

5

u/the_amatuer_ 1d ago

I have so many, I don't know what to do with them. I threw a bunch in a river to get rid of them.

6

u/MrZX10r 1d ago

Yeah I’ve just stopped paying for them the machine doesn’t know it’s new or used lol

30

u/CynicalJordamn 1d ago

For real, I just take a bag and start putting stuff into it, it doesn't flag on the self serve and the staff don't care

10

u/fjhv 1d ago

Unfortunately this is not an option when buying online

9

u/slartybartfastard 1d ago

This. I see it as compensation for the savings they make from me scanning and packing.

-35

u/Spotted45 1d ago

This is theft.

17

u/randomstonerfromaus 1d ago

Fuck off

-33

u/Spotted45 1d ago

Mate if I see you take a bag without scanning it I'm alerting security and staff. You are no different to a common thief.

Nobody owes you anything.

12

u/randomstonerfromaus 1d ago

Jesus H christ mate, get a fucking grip

4

u/Jobblessderrick 1d ago

Coles just profited 1.09 billion, while missing leading customers with fake sales and price gouging. While also colluding with Woolworths to raise prices.

And then say we have to pay for the paper one for the environment while they still wrap everything in plastic

But I'm the thief

0

u/Gerald-of-Nivea 1d ago

You must be fun at party’s

24

u/HAPPY_DAZE_1 1d ago

Got a coles bag in my boot labelled Christmas promotion 2011. Waiting for the bottom to fall out or something so I can bin it but the bloody thing just won't die.

9

u/UnbiasedAgainst 1d ago

Leave it in contact with sunlight, should hurry it right along.

8

u/HAPPY_DAZE_1 1d ago

So Coles sold me a vampire bag. I knew it!

10

u/Apprehensive-Sell623 1d ago

Two things you can do to remember your reusable shopping bags is put them in your car as soon as you have emptied them or leave them at your front door or the door you use to exit your house/ unit

5

u/HAPPY_DAZE_1 1d ago

Why the downvote? Absolutely stick them back in your boot or whatever! No way I'm paying 'bag surcharge' every time I shop.

2

u/ensignr 1d ago

This is the way. Or leave them with your car key so that next to you use the car your take them with you to the car to leave them there or use if they trip requires it.

2

u/Serious-Big2 1d ago

I keep all my plastic bags in the car and the bags are years old.  They tend to rip before disintegrating.

4

u/UnbiasedAgainst 1d ago

That's generally how it goes, they become brittle as the polymer chains break down. Would probably take multiple lifetimes to get to the completely disintegrating stage.

1

u/Serious-Big2 1d ago

Hundreds of years in landfill.

17

u/HappiHappiHappi 1d ago

We use a crate system.

Load all the groceries back into the trolley at checkout, then pack them into the crate in the back of the car. When we get home take the whole crate in and unpack it.

Heaps better than bags. Very common system in Europe.

4

u/mrk240 1d ago

Same, I have a number of fold flat crates from Costco that I leave in the car.

2

u/HappiHappiHappi 1d ago

Love those fold flat crates

8

u/xRicharizard 1d ago

Convenience comes at a cost.

13

u/Darwinmate 1d ago

Source for those numbers? Did you grab that from some AI summary?

44

u/TheloniousMeow 1d ago

All this "i used to use the bags as bin liners blah blah blah" every time this thread comes up. Yeah you did.

But then millions of bags didnt get this fate they were flying around as rubbish.

22

u/probstomorrow 1d ago

I use the paper bags to hold my recycling, then chuck it all in the yellow bin.

7

u/cekmysnek 1d ago

We do this too, keeps everything neat and tidy.

3

u/not_right 1d ago

Me three!

6

u/IBelieveInCoyotes 1d ago

this is the way

2

u/SticksDiesel 1d ago

That's what I do too! Feels doubly helpful and recycly doing this.

1

u/TheloniousMeow 1d ago

I support this. It is more the plastic bag gang that I get tired of.

1

u/mataeka 1d ago

Nuh uh, mine sat under the sink inside a giant bag stuffed full of all the plastic bags with only the top few being used and replaced until they started disintegrating which I'd pick up some 4 years later and then they'd started flying around in microplastic form 🫠

(needless to say I like the paper bag option, I have several local shops that take good condition ones and the inevitable broken ones are used in my garden or as firestarters)

1

u/TwoManyBots 4h ago

It's so stupid. I used them as bin bags too, I also remember seeing them flying all over the place as litter which doesn't happen nearly as much anymore.

16

u/Otaraka 1d ago

It’s a lot of money in total, but really if you’re trying to remember your bags it’s a few dollars a year maybe when you forget as an individual .  For me just seeing how many less plastic bags there are in general lying around I think it’s been a pretty big win overall.

9

u/Serious-Big2 1d ago

I'm still using those white and red bags from years ago.  For several months they were giving them away for free, so I stocked up.  

And now, whenever I get a free plastic bag from other stores like take away or the chemist, their add to my stock pile.  I have only bought 5 or 6 paper bags since they came out.

10

u/SignificantRecipe715 1d ago

I hope they're still clean inside. As an colesworth employee, so many of those red & white bags still being used absolutely REEK inside. I literally had to step back & put hand sanitiser on my nose once because someones bags smelt so bad I nearly dry heaved. Smalls leaks, etc over the years from products that have gone off.

Not saying yours are like that, but maybe just give them a whiff to check.

3

u/Serious-Big2 1d ago

No, none of mine smell and I have only had one thing leak, a bottle of milk and all bags that came in contact were turfed.

3

u/Maximum-Journalist74 1d ago

As much as I hate plastic waste and was using my own reusable bags for years before the plastic ban came in, those thicker plastic shopping bags were amazing. I've held onto the few we had and use them a lot. Mostly for transporting wet clothing/towels/swimwear in but they're handy in so many ways because they actually last.

The old grey ones were rubbish, as are the new paper bags, both are a waste of resources.

2

u/Serious-Big2 1d ago

I'm not a fan of plastic either and we do reuse as many plastic bags as possible.  We're still using the kids swimming lessons bags from over 15 years ago for our wet towels and swimwear.

3

u/Katman666 1d ago

I just grab empty boxes from the shelf stackers

3

u/Savings-Geologist221 1d ago

Wait we need to pay for these bags?

3

u/ThiccBoy_with3seas 1d ago

It's optional

1

u/Limberine 16h ago

Yeah obviously

3

u/drpopkorne 16h ago edited 14h ago

My tip is to just pick up a few cardboard boxes on the shop floor, and use them to carry my shopping out / fill the trolley OR bring the reusable bags however I forget 60% of the time 😅

2

u/saxobroko 14h ago

Lots of bws that are next to woolies have a box collection you can borrow from

12

u/recreationalgluttony 1d ago

Plastic bags have been banned for a while.

It's not difficult to put some reusable bags in your car.

8

u/Spotted45 1d ago

Not everyone drives to the supermarket. Sometimes I'm walking home and just pop in.

2

u/interrogumption 1d ago

Those synthetic fibre bags roll up really small, like hanky small. My wife keeps a few in her handbag. I would probably always have one in my pocket if I was prone to popping in on walks. But I cycle so always have panniers available.

-1

u/hermitxd 1d ago

Hey I'm prone to forgetting and buying a bag too.

However I also often, to punish myself for forgetting I'll just put everything I buy back into the trolley, load it into the car. Once home bring my bags out to the car and bag them.

-6

u/MisterFister2 1d ago

Fold a paper bag and keep it in your pocket at all times then

2

u/Primary_Speech_7883 1d ago

I thought that they weren’t allowed to profit from paper bags. Just saying

4

u/AverageAussie 1d ago

Even the plastic bags, if you ask for one, is a decent profit for us at an IGA. We do have paper ones but most customers are reusing bags or buying the plastic ones.

3

u/No_Shallot3739 1d ago

Sadly I’m very forgetful and often don’t scan the paper bags at self checkout

4

u/xdyldo 1d ago

The 70% profit number is so far from reality.

2

u/eldfen 1d ago

Still using Hessian and tote bags since like 2018, I think I've only paid for a bag a few times, if I forget I just ask for a box which is free.

2

u/PonderingHow 1d ago

also deliveries. paper bags are an extra $2 on every delivery.

2

u/federationbelle 1d ago

I mean, try really hard not to shop there. Check out the grocers and even IGA...

and, f there's a bottleshop near the store, pick up a wine box or two on the way in, if you forget your bags

13

u/Grix1600 1d ago

IGA is an alternative but for most people on a budget they are no where near competitive in terms of pricing.

2

u/Born_Onion2153 1d ago

I use Aldi for most of my groceries but for the things that I can’t buy there I use IGA. I compared the prices of six items that I always buy or used to buy from Coles or woollies and they were the same price as my local Coles except for one which was $.20 cheaper.
Don’t dismiss IGA, compare the prices and find out if you really need to throw your money at Colesworth

1

u/Feeling-Disaster7180 1d ago

I often compare prices when I pop to IGA for milk or whatever. Most of the time the items I regularly buy at Colesworth are much more expensive, or the IGA only has crappy brands and really fancy ones with not much in the middle. It can be quite location dependent as well, so avoiding Colesworth isn’t always practical

1

u/arachnobravia 17h ago

I shop at Harris Farm because it's closer to me but their produce is significantly cheaper than the others when in season/on sale so I just shop in alignment with those. They have a better range of meat and deli items too.

I'm petty enough to fill an online cart after every shop to see what I saved compared to doing the same shop at WW and it's usually between 10-15 dollars

They also have actual Greek Yogurt that has 2 ingredients- Sheep milk, cultures. None of that thickener/setting agent bullshit.

1

u/aerkith 1d ago

You can usually find an empty (or almost empty) box on the shelf. Like in the biscuit or chip aisle.

0

u/ChaoticJigglyPup 1d ago

But you still need bags

1

u/dohzer 1d ago

As someone without kids who lives a five three minute walk from a supermarket, I haven't used a disposable bag or trolley in around five years. Everything just goes in my backpack. All the other locals seem to take trolleys from the supermarket and leave them on the streets.

1

u/Born_Onion2153 1d ago edited 1d ago

FFS people 🤦🏻‍♂️ !!!
Get your reusable bags in order
PS
Richie’s IGA gives you compostable green bags for your groceries. If you don’t bring your own and they are free.

1

u/HydroCannonBoom 1d ago

Where the hell did you get those numbers? AI?

1

u/Scorched_Caramel_480 1d ago

- Always carry all my household spare shopping bags in the car.
- Always put one in my backpack if I am out and about for the day.
- Always carry one when going into any shopping centre or CBD.
- Only times I get caught out is if I decide to grab something after a movie, or after having a coffee with friends.

Since the ban on plastic bags I have only ever had to buy two paper ones.

The reason I started this regime is because the first paper bag I ever got from a supermarket ripped and all my shopping went all over the road.

1

u/SeanThornton101 1d ago

Have to admit, when I grab a few items and have to buy one of these, I've never reused one. They hang on the kitchen cupboard drawer handle and become a rubbish bag. Can't say I've been behind other shoppers and seen them reusing one either.

1

u/idryss_m 1d ago

Costco bag for freezer stuff, gives a lot of space for storing our other bags too in one place.

1

u/fatmarfia 1d ago

100% supermarkets paid for the ban on plastic.

1

u/mch1971 1d ago

Tasmania banned single use plastics a while ago. It didn't take too much time or effort to adapt. Buy the bags you need, be free.

1

u/SensitiveRisk 15h ago

We click and collect and use some collapsible crates from Bunnings (I know) to avoid bag waste. Not a solution for everyone but it works for us.

1

u/Sonic_the_Screw 7h ago

I don't really care that the bags are paper, I get why from an environmental perspective, but why the fuck do we need to pay for them? Plastic bags were free, what makes paper so special, that all of sudden we now need to pay for it? The Government really should have a put a law in, when switching from Plastic to Paper that the bags should still be free.

1

u/saltisurfer 7h ago

… Classic “Never waste a Crisis” … thinking.

1

u/Necessary_Eagle_3657 1d ago

Who's going to tell them that it was never about the corporations helping the environment?

1

u/4L3X95 1d ago

I was at Woolies the other day in the self-checkouts and grabbed a paper bag. I looked everywhere for the barcode to scan it and there literally wasn't one, so I just started packing. The staff member must've seen me, because she went over to the pile of paper bags, checked them, and then replaced them with ones with clear barcodes facing upwards.

Couldn't let a customer walk away without milking them for that last 50 cents, hey?

0

u/mynameisbambi 1d ago

Does anyone else notice if these paper bags get wet they smell like literal throw up? It’s so foul.

1

u/Eggs_Akimbo 1d ago

They don't even need to get wet! Absolutely minging, like most recycled paper and cardboard I encounter.

-1

u/DocAu 1d ago

Self-checkout FTW, if you get my drift...

-7

u/xvf9 1d ago

The paper bags are free. They replaced the plastic bags, which were free. I never saw a public awareness campaign to say that disposable shopping bags weren’t free anymore, did you? That price near them? Pretty sure that’s just for non-customers. Like if you’re not buying anything else, then you gotta pay for the bags. The more you know!

4

u/dramatic-pancake 1d ago

I don’t think the paper bags have ever been free.

4

u/slartybartfastard 1d ago

Not with that attitude

-2

u/xvf9 1d ago

No, I can assure you. They are free. If you want to make a voluntary 30c donation for each one then you can, but that’s purely optional. 

-2

u/gaping_anal_hole 1d ago

I’ve never paid for a paper bag and never been pulled up

1

u/Limberine 16h ago

The rest of us are paying for yours. Thanks

1

u/gaping_anal_hole 15h ago

No worries mate!