Countdown has announced plans to remove plastic bags from supermarkets by the end of 2018.
The company says they made the decision after discovering 83% of their customers supported phasing out single-use plastic carrier bags.
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Managing director Dave Chambers says, "Now is the right time to take the lead, phase-out single-use plastic carrier bags and introduce better options for customers. This move will result in the removal of 350 million plastic bags from our waste stream and environment. "
"We're confident Kiwis will get in behind this change across the country, and we're committed to making the move away from check-out bags as simple for customers as we can."
The bags will also be phased out in online shopping, with trials already underway to allow customers to return plastic bags to online shopping drivers for recycling instead of bringing them in store.
Countdown ruled out introducing a charge for plastic bags, saying in their opinion the best move for the environment was to not provide the bags at all.
Newshub
