Whanganui on board as Mitre 10 stamps out single-use plastic bags

Mitre 10 MEGA Whanganui store owner Hayden Gibson said banning the single-use plastic bag is the way forward. Photo / Stuart Munro

Mitre 10 Mega Whanganui owner Hayden Gibson is delighted the company is doing away with single-use plastic bags.

However, an environment watchdog isn't so pleased, warning the move may cause even more damage.

Mitre 10, Mitre 10 Mega and Hammer Hardware will stop using the bags from July 1.

Home improvement shoppers will be encouraged to bring their own bags, instead, or use other means to transport their goods home. They will also be able to buy a reusable bag in store for $1.

"It's definitely the way forward — sustainability is extremely important to us and it's not the only thing we are doing around it," Gibson said.

"I can only speak on behalf of our store, but we have implemented some recycling programmes where we're actually separating out all the different products that can be sent to landfill versus being recycled."

Gibson said that their Columbus Coffee cafe had halved the number of items sent to landfills and estimated that the store had reduced landfill waste by up to 25 per cent.

They had been looking into phasing out single-use plastic bags for a couple of years, he said.

"Once you get the right people involved it's not difficult, but Whanganui's probably not the easiest place in the world to get support from the waste management side of it.

"They have got better over time."

His staff supported jettisoning the single-use bags — "They're really pleased that we're doing something, but it's not a big thing that we're going out and shouting from the roof tops."

He said the change would be challenging in some ways.

"You buy your nuts and bolts and things like that and we're going to have to be clever about how we get our customers to carry those around.

"But customers are pretty savvy people, they're aware that these things are happening and it's not just Mitre 10. They'll be fine."

Mitre 10's move follows Countdown doing away with single use bags on Monday in 10 supermarkets across the country, including Whanganui's Victoria Avenue store.

Countdown was offering $1 reuseable bags as an alternative, but this has raised concerns with environmental lobby group Greenpeace.

On Monday, the organisation said replacing single-use plastic bags with reuseable ones could end up being more damaging to the environment.

"Some of these new thicker plastic bags are sold as 'emergency reusable' but while they could be reused a few times, their cheap price means they are likely to be used only once, so flooding our environment with more, heavier, longer lasting plastics," spokeswoman Emily Hunter said.

"We applaud retailers for phasing out single-use bags but the introduction of heavier plastic bags for sale is a false solution."

However, Greenpeace made a point of commending Mitre 10 and Mitre 10 Mega for their replacement bags.

"Of all the retailers they are the ones doing the best job because they are not going for the heavy plastic compromise bags."

Other retailers ditching single-use plastic bags by the end of the year are The Warehouse, Warehouse Stationery, Noel Leeming and Torpedo7. Greenpeace has called on the Government to regulate what bags can be made available as alternatives.