If you haven`t started yet, it`s time to hoard some plastic shopping bags.
Free disposable plastic bags will be banned across Australia from July 1, and two major supermarkets, Coles and Woolworths, have been added to the list of plastic restrictions, although local government says they are still available.
But if you live in one of the 16 urban areas of four states, the limit will come earlier-as early as this Wednesday, three months ahead of schedule.
From Toorak, a fashion town in Melbourne, to Mossman, a tropical town in the remote northern part of Kunzhou, some supermarkets piloted plastic restrictions before July 1 to see how refusing to provide plastic bags would affect customers.
Photo said: two major supermarkets in some stores in the implementation of plastic restrictions
A spokesman for Woolies said the move was made in advance to "monitor customer feedback" before the full implementation of the restrictions on July 1.
South Australia was the first state to introduce a plastic restriction order, which began in 2009. Retailers who distribute banned plastic bags to customers will be fined up to 5000 yuan, and retailers and suppliers may be fined up to 20, 000 yuan. In 2011, the capital and northern territories issued plastic restrictions. The state was also implemented in 2013.
Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia will ban retailers from supplying plastic bags from July this year.
Last year the Woolworths announced that it would not only comply with the state ban, but would also impose "plastic restrictions" in the new state.
It is understood that with bans in other states, it is easier for businesses to remove plastic bags from all stores. Just hours after Woolworths announced the news, Coles made a similar commitment.
"our team has been trying to remind local customers of new rules that will be implemented in recent weeks, so far," said a spokeswoman for Woolworths, referring to the early implementation of the plastic restrictions at its 12 stores, saying: "our team has been trying to remind local customers of new regulations that will be implemented in recent weeks," a Woolworths spokeswoman said. Feedback from the community is very positive. "
Woolworths supermarkets in Toorak,Wyndham Vale and Taylors Lakes, Victoria, will no longer offer free plastic bags as of Wednesday.
Sydney`s Marayong,Greenway Village and Dural stores, as well as the new state`s sub-developed town of Mullumbimby, will also "say goodbye" to plastic bags.
In Kunzhou, Mossman and Noosa Civic`s Woolworths branch will not offer free plastic bags, as will Western Australia`s Singleton,South Fremantle and Cottesloe stores.
In an interview with news.com.au, Coles confirmed that some of its stores would eliminate free plastic bags. Beginning April 30, stores in Williamstown, Perth Inglewood, Balgowlah, Melbourne, Sydney, and Hope Island, Queensland, implemented a plastic restriction order, two months ahead of schedule.
"We know that a lot of customers enjoy the convenience of disposable shopping bags, so we try to phase out them in some stores to make sure that we can make the transition as smoothly as possible," said John Durkan, managing director of Coles.
Every year, Woolies customers use 3.2 billion plastic bags, and Coles customers use hundreds of millions of plastic bags.
The ban is generally limited to traditional lightweight, free plastic bags, rather than thin bags for fruits and vegetables. Thicker reusable plastic bags will be the cheapest alternative, at a unit price of 15 cents, and familiar "green bags" can also be used.
