Aldi to bring in paper bags as 15c plastic bags phased out

Aldi have announced the phase out of their cheapest reusable plastic bags, and will replace them with brown paper bags from today.

In a waste-conscious change to the store's notoriously fast-paced checkouts, the paper bags will be available for 25 cents. 

Aldi will also continue to provide a thicker reusable plastic bag at checkouts for 99c, alongside a cooler bag available for $2.49.

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The move will reportedly see more than 888 tonnes of plastic removed from circulation annually, and it comes as all the major supermarkets face pressure to reduce their plastic consumption.

Coles committed to phasing out their 15c bags last month. They said ending the sale of the 15c plastic bags will cut an estimated 230 million plastic bags from circulation in Australia each year.

The move comes just weeks after Coles' major competitor Woolworths announced it would stop selling soft-use plastic bags by June.

In May, Coles removed plastic openings from some of its tissue boxes in an effort to cut an estimated 13 tonnes of plastic from circulation each year.

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Plastic shopping bags make up one part of a supermarket's plastic-footprint, with food packaging accounting for another significant portion. 

Aldi have issued statements committing to an overall reduction of their plastic output, aiming to have reduced their consumption by 25 percent before 2025.

According to a statement on Aldi's website, the company is on track to reach that goal, and also looks to guarantee that all their packaging will be 100 percent recyclable, reusable or compostable by the same deadline.

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