Stores tackle 'bag rage' amid plastics ban

Woolies and Coles are scrambling to combat "bag rage" as frustrated shoppers vent their anger over the removal of single-use plastic bags.

A shopper is seen carrying a reusable plastic bag at a Coles Sydney CBD store.

A shopper is seen carrying a reusable plastic bag at a Coles Sydney CBD store. Source: AAP

Australia's biggest supermarket chains are scrambling to combat "bag rage" as frustrated shoppers vent their anger over the removal of single-use plastic bags.

One man put his hands around a supermarket worker's throat, the West Australian newspaper reported, while grocery stores are putting on more staff to help customers get used to the change.

The removal of single-use plastics is part of a national push to reduce waste.

As of July 1, major retailers in all but two Australian states will be fined if they supply single-use plastic bags.

Coles on Sunday removed single-use plastic bags from its stores, shortly after rival Woolworths banned the bags on June 20.

Consumer complaints forced Woolworths to backflip on charging customers 15 Australian cents for a reusable plastic bag, with the retailer now offering them free until July 8.

"They just want a little extra help from us to get through the transition," said Claire Peters, Woolworths managing director, in an emailed statement.

After seeing the backlash at its rival, Coles said it would open every checkout lane on Sunday to reduce queue lengths as staff explain the changes to customers.

"We are taking a proactive step," a Coles spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

The union that represents Australian shop assistants has launched a public awareness campaign on the issue.

"While we understand that some customers may be frustrated by this change, there is absolutely no excuse for abusive or violent behaviour towards retail staff," said Gerard Dwyer, national secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees' Association, in a statement on the union website.

The union conducted a survey earlier this week and of 132 members who responded, 57 said they suffered abuse due to the plastic bag ban.

More than eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in the world's oceans each year, according to United Nations Environment Programme figures.

The UN wants to eliminate single-use plastic by 2022 and says more than 60 countries have so far taken steps to ban or reduce plastic consumption.


Share
2 min read

Published

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world