However, many businesses last week were still waiting for their new bags to arrive from suppliers but since they now face fines between $11,000 and $250,000 for giving out single-use plastic bags, were encouraging customers to take in their own bags when shopping … or even just buying lunch.
A Zag Seafood Merrylands spokesperson said the bag ban was annoying but they were happy to move along with the times.
“We’ll be using the biodegradable bags like in Woolies but they’re not cheap and are set to cost us 25c a bag so we will be passing about 10c of that cost onto the customer,” he said.
“We put in the order weeks ago but hope to have the new bags this week.”
A 99 Butchery Auburn spokesperson said they had been telling customers for weeks to start bringing in their own bags.
“Customers just have to get used to it; everyone’s in the same boat.”
Sahar Supermarket Auburn, along with Lidcombe Central Supermarket, are already using biodegradable bags as is Lidcombe’s Rhea Supermarket.
“There will be extra costs for the customer to buy our bags,” a Rhea spokesperson said.
The NSW Government introduced the Plastics Action Plan last year.
The ban will prevent almost 2.7 billion items of plastic litter from entering the environment in NSW over the next 20 years.
As well as the lightweight, single-use plastic bag ban, from November, the NSW Government is banning single-use plastic straws, stirrers, cutlery, plates, bowls and cotton buds; expanded polystyrene food ware and cups; and rinse-off personal care products containing plastic microbeads.
So-called ‘compostable’ and ‘bioplastic’ alternatives are also being banned.
Take in own bags or buy ‘reuseable’
CUSTOMERS will have to get used to taking their own shopping bags or be prepared to pay for biodegradable bags for their purchases after the NSW Government’s ban on single-use, plastic bags came into effect last Wednesday.