Mitre 10 to say bye-bye to the plastic bag from 1 July

Mitre 10 to say bye-bye to the plastic bag from 1 July

Home improvement shoppers across the country are being encouraged to get ready to bring their own bags in anticipation of the removal of single-use plastic bags from the checkouts of Mitre 10, Mitre 10 MEGA and Hammer Hardware stores on 1 July 2018.

The 128 stores across the country made the decision to move away from single-use plastic bags as well as boot liners earlier this year and by 1 July will no longer have these options available in store.

From this date, customers can either bring in their own bags, or other means to transport their shopping home, or can choose to purchase a reusable bag in store for $1.00. Recycled paper sheets will be available in Mitre 10 and Mitre 10 MEGA stores for customers requiring something to keep their vehicles free from dirt and debris when transporting garden goods.

Mitre 10 General Manager Marketing, Jules Lloyd-Jones, says the decision to remove bags and boot liners was an easy one to make and had unanimous support from the co-operative’s owner-operators.

“As the country’s biggest home improvement retailer, we take our duty to be socially responsible seriously and always strive to do the right thing by our customers, communities and the environment.

“It’s hard to beat the passion of our local owner-operators when it comes to their communities and they were right behind making this move and doing it as soon as we could.”

Jules acknowledges shopping without plastic bags is going to take time for customers to get used to.

“Plastic bags have become so ingrained into our way of shopping that it’s quite a significant mind-shift to get into the routine of bringing your own bag.

“While there are many shoppers who have already established the routine, and we’ve noticed that number increasing, we want to make the change as smooth as possible for those not there yet.

“Providing customers with a positive experience is right at the top of our agenda and so we’ll be talking a lot about the move ahead over the next few weeks both in store and publicly so that come 1 July there are no surprises for our customers,” Jules says.

The removal of single-use plastic bags and boot liners at checkouts is just one part of the Mitre 10 Group’s commitment to the environment and also has a review of plastic packaging and overall waste reduction underway. Mitre 10 is a member of the Soft Plastics Recycling programme and is working with the operators to expand the number of Mitre 10 stores currently participating in the initiative.
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