With less than a month before major supermarkets start removing lightweight plastic bags from stores, consumer demand for reusable grocery bags is at an all-time high, according to Trolley Bags.
The company, whose reusable shopping bag system achieved viral success in 2015 has experienced a 150 per cent jump in sales this financial year: an increase it directly attributes to the upcoming ban.
Within days of Woolworths and Coles announcing the removal of lightweight plastic bags last July, Trolley Bags’ sales skyrocketed with sales up 400 per cent from the previous month.
“Ever since the major supermarkets announced they’d be phasing out single-use plastic bags, we’ve had an influx of inquiries from shoppers looking for alternatives,” Trolley Bags Managing Director Peter Byrne said.
“The feedback we’ve had from customers is that they’d prefer to invest in quality bags they’re less likely to forget than continually have to purchase bags at the checkout.”
Unlike other grocery bags, Trolley Bags are a system of four sturdy, reusable shopping bags that can be rolled together and hung on the back of a trolley while you’re shopping. At the register, once your groceries have been unpacked, the bags can then be spread across the trolley in one step. They stand upright on their own, allowing both hands to be free while packing the bags.
“The removal of lightweight plastic bags is such a positive step towards reducing waste, but in order to make real change we need to reuse more,” Mr Byrne said. “Continually buying thick plastic bags or green bags at the checkout will do the environment more harm than good.”
