Consumers are speaking out against over-packaging in supermarkets in the wake of the plastic bag ban.
Many have taken to social media to post images of apples packaged in plastic cylinders, criticising chains such as Woolworths of hypocricy.
"Well done Woolworths for getting rid of those plastic bags,” one sarcastic caption read.
“Whatever happened to paper bags? Not everything has to be encased in plastic,” a Reddit user wrote after an image of the apples was posted on the site.
A Woolworths spokesperson told Yahoo7 the plastic used to encase the apples was PET plastic, which can be recycled in roadside collection bins.
They also reiterated the removal of plastic bags was part of a long-term commitment to gradually reducing plastic usage within stores.
“We’re committed to removing unnecessary packaging in produce and will be trialling the removal of plastic packaging on a further 80 lines over the next year,” the spokesperson said.
Consumers have also accused both Coles and Woolworths of using the bag ban as a money-making venture.
A Woolworths spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia, however, the company was making 'no profit' from bag sales, and the money made from bags would be donated to a charity.
As for Coles, it is selling bags to help provide meals for Australians in need via the organisation SecondBite.
A snapshot of public opinion
A recent survey of 2200 shoppers by research firm Canstar Blue found 71 per cent agreed with the decision to ban single-use plastic bags, while 21 per cent disagreed, and eight per cent were undecided.
Despite their views, 45 per cent said taking their own bags will be "a hassle", while 58 per cent said they had been saving bags to use in the future.
From 1 July, single-use plastic bags will be banned in Queensland and Western Australia, bringing them into line with South Australia — the first state to ban the bag in 2009 — the ACT, Northern Territory and Tasmania. Victoria will ban plastic bags, but is yet to announce a start date.
UPDATE AS OF 29 JUNE 2018:
Woolworths has backflipped on its plastic bag ban, saying it will now hand out free reusable bags to frustrated shoppers. For the next 10 days, customers will be given extra reusable bags for free at the check-out counter if they forget to bring their own, or if they don’t have enough.
