Supermarkets’ war on plastic, waste backed by South Coast activist

Coles and Woolworths committed to taking their single-use plastic reduction one step further this week, after announcing early in the year that they would ban plastic bags from July 1. 

It is a move that has been welcomed by South Coast Take 3 for the Sea guardian Monica Mudge, who just last week wrote to Woolworths about the “unnecessary” plastic wrap used on produce. 

“I am really excited they are actually listening to their customers,” Mrs Mudge said. 

“Every small change is a positive move in the right direction and a lot less plastic going into landfill and our water streams.

“Having plastic on spinach and kale, there is just no need for it. They have been packaging already perfectly packaged fruit.”

Coles pledged to reduce plastic wrapping on fruit and vegetables, including bunches of bananas, kale and silverbeet, and replace meat and poultry product packaging with recycled and renewable materials.

Meanwhile, rival Woolworths will ban plastic straws by the end of the year, and its program to remove plastic wrap from produce will expand to include a further 90 products.

Mrs Mudge said although she would like to say they “should go further” and not have any fruit and vegetables in packaging, more education was needed before that happened.

“It would be good to highlight this move to people so they become more educated and understand, so it isn’t such a shock to people who have become so used to this so called convenience of plastic packaging,” she said. 

“The key is going to be educating shoppers and clients who haven’t quite reached that level of consciousness yet to understand why they are making the change. 

“If people embrace plastic free changes for consciousness, rather than not understanding it, it will be a lot more successful.”

Mrs Mudge was confident the supermarket giants would follow through with their announcement, saying it “had to happen”.

“They just can’t say they are going to do it and then the plastic packaging is still there; There is no smoke and mirrors,” she said. 

People were beginning to understand why plastic had to be reduced, Mrs Mudge said. She said people only had to attend any popular beach to see the issues it causes. 

“We can’t deny the state of our oceans,” she said. 

“There is a real shift at the moment and people are starting to understand why this just has to happen. 

“There is a lot more exposure to what is actually happening out there that people can’t ignore it. We really have to do this.” 

Mrs Mudge hoped people wouldn’t turn to plastic produce bags, and would instead go without or bring a bag from home. 

Thankful for the Shoalhaven community embracing a sustainable change, she said they were “vocal” in letting multinationals know they don’t want single-use plastic anymore. 

“They have been so supportive and are really making moves,” Mrs Mudge said.

Milton-based NSW Greens MLC Justin Field welcomed the supermarkets’ announcement, saying “the tide had turned” and the community was rejecting wasteful consumption of unnecessary plastic use. 

“The announcements by Woolworths and Coles is a response to community campaigns such as Boomerang Bags, Plastic Free July, Take 3 for the Sea and thousands of social media petitions and actions. It shows an unstoppable momentum to reduce plastic waste and its deadly impact on whales, seabirds and other marine life when it makes its way into the ocean,” he said.

“Wrapping bananas and avocados in plastic has always been a terrible wasteful. Nature puts fruit and vegetables in their own packaging ready to eat.”