Canberrans will soon not be able to peel off a free plastic bag for their apples or oranges when they shop at a Coles supermarket in the ACT.
Coles is removing single-use plastic fresh produce bags in all its Canberra supermarkets from next month in a trial which will encourage customers to bring in reusable options for their fruit and veg.
Single-use plastic fresh produce bags, also known as barrier bags, will be removed from all 12 stores across the ACT from September 14 for an indefinite trial.
Depending on how the Canberra trial goes, the ban on fresh produce plastic bags could be enforced in all of Coles' supermarkets nationwide.
Between August 31 and September 13, Canberrans who spend $5 in store on fruit and veggies will receive a free three-pack of reusable mesh fresh produce bags - made with 90 per cent recycled materials - to help them get ready for the trial.
Once the trial starts on September 14, Canberrans will have to bring their own bags for their fruit and veg or buy the reusable mesh ones for sale at Coles for $3 for a three-pack.
The current free plastic bags for fruit and veg will still be used in online orders and at the deli. Paper bags will still be provided for mushrooms.
Coles chief operations and sustainability officer Matt Swindells said the initiative could reduce about 11 tonnes of plastic each year in the ACT alone.
Canberra has been at the forefront of reducing single-use plastic.
Since 2011, it has banned single-use plastic shopping bags at or below 35 micrometres in thickness. Other items such as single-use plastic straws and single-use plastic cutlery have also been banned in the ACT.
The ACT government was considering banning the plastic produce bags in any case from July this year. But that deadline came and went.
The ACT government says it is still "supportive of supermarkets moving away from single-use plastic fruit and vegetable barrier bags".
That position was part of the reason Coles chose Canberra for its trial, with the groceries giant taking up the cudgels and using the ACT as a test case.
"Coles is always looking at ways to reduce our environmental footprint and help customers make sustainable choices," a spokesperson said.
"We have selected to trial this initiative in the ACT given the increasing focus on the use of single-use plastic fresh produce bags in the territory."
Asked whether the ACT was representative enough of the rest of Australia's attitudes, given its progressive stance on single-use plastics, Coles said it would be looking carefully at its trial in Canberra.
"Coles will closely monitor the implementation and outcomes of this trial to help inform the future direction in other states across Australia," a spokesperson said.
Mr Swindells said under Coles' waste strategy, it wanted to reduce reliance on "unnecessary and problematic single-use plastics packaging and provide sustainable solutions to our customers".
"This will be the first time a major Australian supermarket will trial a completely reusable method of helping customers purchase their fresh fruit and veggies," he said.
"We will be looking closely at how our ACT customers respond. These insights will inform our consideration for potentially rolling this out to our customers nationally."
The ACT government says the plastic produce bags are a problem because they can't be recycled through the ACT household recycling bin and often contaminate the recycling stream. Plastic barrier bags can only be disposed of to landfill or through designated drop off points at supermarkets.
"In recent consultations, large supermarkets indicated an unwillingness to move to paper bags as an alternative," a spokesperson said.
"Single-use barrier bags have not been banned, as compostable alternatives cannot be recycled in ACT bins at this time and still end up in landfill.
"The government will phase out single-use plastic bags when the ACT's new industrial composting facility commences operations."
Coles recently rolled out across the country fresh produce bags made with 50 per cent recycled plastic. Those bags can be returned to REDcycle bins at any Coles supermarket to be recycled.
Coles also has shopping bags made with 80 per cent recycled plastic, including 20 per cent marine waste collected from coastlines, beaches and waterways.
And earlier this year, Coles removed plastic scoops from its Own Brand laundry powders, saving three tonnes of plastic in a year.
