“It has been well documented that plastic straws do significant harm to marine wildlife and this move will help reduce the impact of plastics on the marine environment,” Woolworths Mossman Store Manager Kiley Brown said.

“Across Australia and New Zealand this move will see us remove 134 million straws from circulation each year.”

The launch of a new reusable shopping bag and the phase out of plastic straws from sale are among a number of sustainability initiatives customers shopping at the Mossman supermarket.

With the removal of single-use plastic shopping bags from June 20th, Kiley said the local supermarket is changing its popular green, reusable bags available for customers to purchase in store to a ‘Bag for Good’.

“Our Bag for Good costs 99 cents, and when it gets damaged, we will replace it for free, no matter when you bought it from us. We’ll then recycle your old bag via the REDCycle program.”

But the ‘good’ doesn’t stop there. Any money made from the sale of the Woolworths bags will fund the Junior Landcare grants program, encouraging young Australians to play an active role in ensuring the sustainable future of their environment.

Landcare Australia CEO, Dr Shane Norrish, said the program will help younger Australians to be more aware of environmental issues in their own backyard.

“They will have the opportunity to have hands-on environmental education in the class and in the schoolyard, which will only help to better future generations,” he said.

“We look forward to seeing applications from schools in the local area when the next grant round is launched in a couple of months’ time.”

Woolworths will also continue its ongoing program of plastic reduction in fruit and vegetables, which has seen the removal of 140 tonnes of plastic in the last year in Australia. A further 80 produce items are earmarked for plastic reduction trials in the next 12 months.

Planet Ark CEO Paul Klymenko said cutting down on single use plastic waste such as straws was crucial.

“Businesses getting behind this is key but as an individual, you can also make a difference by switching to reusable or recyclable options,” he said.

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