The Local Government Association of South Australia (LGA SA) has applauded an announcement by Woolworths that the state will be the first in Australia to trial compostable produce bags in its stores.
The bags are set to replace single-use plastic fruit and vegetable bags in all SA Woolworths stores.
LGA SA President, Angela Evans says the bags will help households easily access food waste collection systems, as residents will no longer have to visit their local council office to collect bags to line kitchen bins.
“The Local Government Association welcomes Woolworths switch to compostable bags, as this change presents a huge opportunity to make it easier for residents to do the right thing and recycle their food waste at home,” said Ms Evans.
“Recycling food waste helps embed a circular economy, as this material is processed into valuable compost for use by farmers and other growers.
“The fact that Woolworths have chosen SA as the pilot site is a fantastic endorsement of the groundwork done by councils on sustainable waste management.”
She said LGA SA and councils had provided significant support to Woolworths to roll out the bag pilot.
“This included advising on the state of food organics and green organics (FOGO) recovery in South Australia, and councils’ experiences educating their communities to recycle food waste through their green bins,” said Ms Evans.
“We know that simple systems, and small changes can have powerful outcomes for our environment, reducing our impact carbon footprint and directly addressing climate change,” said Woolworths SA’s, Elisha Moore.
