Supermarkets to charge for plastic bags

Going to the supermarket soon? Don’t forget to take your “jholi” with you?

Shoppers at New World, Four Square and Pak 'n' Save supermarkets will now be charged for plastic bags from August, parent company Foodstuffs New Zealand has announced.

The company said that shoppers would be charged 5c a bag at all their supermarkets around the country.

North Island Pak 'n' Save shoppers have been paying for plastic bags (10c) for about 20 years.

Managing director Tony Carter said the idea was an environmental initiative to reduce use of plastics bags and encourage consumers to use re-useable bags.

He said the company planned to make a contribution to an "environment initiative" but had not decided on an organisation..

Mr Carter said Foodstuffs had reduced the use of plastic bags by 19 per cent since July 2007 with workers asking shoppers if they needed a plastic bag and supermarkets selling re-usable shopping bags.

He said the 19 per cent reduction amounted to a saving of 50 million bags. Foodstuffs supermarkets use 270 million bags a year.

"We have looked at the overseas experience in countries such as Ireland where a charge has reduced plastic bag use by 90 per cent. We have also taken into consideration the communities' opinion and it is clear that a charge for plastic bags is the best way forward," he said.

Mr Carter told the New Zealand Herald said a trial in Australia found there was an 80 per cent reduction in plastic bag consumption when shoppers faced a charge and customers turned to using re-useable bags.