View source for Australian chain sets 3rd deadline to end free plastic bags

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - A major Australian supermarket chain on Thursday set a third deadline for ending free plastic bags for shoppers, balancing customer anger at an additional shopping expense with environmentalists' demands for corporate action against plastic pollution.<br><br>Coles has been handing out reusable plastic bags to most of its Australian customers since July 1, when it introduced a ban on single-use plastic bags. It initially told customers they'd be charged 15 Australian cents (11 cents) for the reusable bags starting July 8.<br><br>Coles shifted the demise of free reusable Better Bags to Aug. 1. But on Wednesday the retail giant postponed that decision indefinitely.<br><br>With threats of a shopping boycott by environmentally minded shoppers, Coles announced on Thursday that customers would start paying for bags on Aug. 29.<br><br>"I appreciate this transition phase is taking longer than anticipated, but it is absolutely the right thing to do by our customers," Coles Managing Director John Durkan said in a statement [https://burmatourist.com/things-to-know-before-going-to-myanmar/ Things to know before going to Myanmar] staff.<br><br>Coles and its larger rival Woolworths account for around 70 percent of the Australian supermarket trade. The two chains announced in June new goals [https://burmatourist.com/things-to-know-before-going-to-myanmar/ Things to know before going to Myanmar] reduce plastic products and packaging in response to requests from customers for a greener shopping experience.<br><br>[https://burmatourist.com/things-to-know-before-going-to-myanmar/ before going to Myanmar] they took action, half of Australia's eight states and territories had already banned single-use plastic shopping bags by law.<br><br>From July 1, Queensland and Western Australia joined South Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory with state-wide bans.<br><br>But the most populous states, New South Wales and Victoria - where more than half of Australians live - have [http://Pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=resisted resisted] change.<br><br>Greenpeace spokeswoman Zoe Deans cautiously welcomed Coles' latest deadline.<br><br>"It sounds like initially they paid too much attention to the vocal minority and I think the sheer scale of the outrage yesterday and this morning has shown them what Australians actually think," Deans said.<br><br>"It's confusing and frustrating for customers that they have been flip-flopping on this issue and we really want to see them make a solid commitment to actually doing what they said they would do and ban the bags for good," Deans added.<br><br>University of Melbourne marketing expert Simon Bell said the policy reversals by Coles demonstrated inconsistency and unreliability.<br><br>But he expected the reputational damage to the Coles brand would be short-lived.<br><br>"The flip-flopping unfortunately is symptomatic of who's shouting the loudest on any one day, and that's not a great way to build brands or adhere to a vision," Bell said.<br><br>Advertisement