Woolworths launches BYO container program in Tasmania

Last week Woolworths announced its bring your own container program for its Tasmanian stores. The program means that customers can bring their own containers in order to reduce the amount of plastic waste that is produced.

All customers need to do is bring along their own container to the counter, which will be filled by a staff member who will then put a barcode on it, ready to be scanned at the checkout.

The containers can be used at the deli, meat and seafood counters of the supermarket and this introduction is serving as a trial that will expand in the coming months. Other stores in Australia that are part of Woolworths’ trial are the West End store in Queensland and the Crows Nest store in New South Wales.

It should be noted that sustainability is not coming at the expense of hygiene for the stores. Customers cannot walk into their store with armfuls of ancient containers but instead must bring ones that are clean, have sealable lids, are of a good condition and are neither glass nor single-use.

“Practical industry-led initiatives like this BYO container program by Woolworths increase public confidence in waste reduction and are vital in achieving Australia’s goal of phasing out unnecessary plastics by 2025,” said Assistant Minister for Waste Reduction and Environmental Management Trevor Evans MP.

“Australian consumers are increasingly looking for opportunities to take responsibility for their waste, and they want to take actions that see better outcomes for the environment.”

Woolworths notes that if every person brought along their own reusable containers when shopping, upwards of 10,000 plastic containers would be saved each year, from each store.