Earlier today, Woolworths announced it was going to phase out plastic bags around the country. Within a matter of hours, Coles made the same announcement. Harris Farm are also doing it, and so far, they have been the leader. They already sell sturdy paper bags with carry handles at cost price, have boxes at the checkout and even have mesh produce bags to use in store, similar to our reusable produce bags from Onya.

What does this actually mean?

If we learnt anything from the War On Waste and what happened in Tasmania, it means they're going to stop giving away free thin plastic bags and start selling thicker ones that people will, most likely, still use once and throw away. This is NOT good solution. Banning the thin bags is a good step in the right direction, but the real value in this initiative is what they are replaced with.

Harris Farm sell paper bags and give away boxes. This is fabulous and I have always loved what Harris Farm do and what they stand for. According to this ABC news story, Woolworths alone give away 3.2 billion single use plastic bags a year. If they replace these with 3.2 billion thicker bags, this is actually not a solution. Woolworths are going to make 15 cent thicker plastic bags available and multi-use hessian bags. There is no word yet on what Coles will offer as a replacement. Woolworths plan to have their phase out in place by June 30, just in time for Plastic Free July 2018.

How can you be part of the solution?

Make sure what replaces those single use thin plastic bags isn't a thicker one that uses even more plastic and still gets thrown away. We have some beautiful reusable shopping bags in store for those of you, if you're like me, are more likely to remember to take one if you're carrying something stylish or pretty or funny or whatever it is that you choose that shows off a little of your personality as you shop.

If you have trouble remembering to take them, especially for the men in our lives who don't have the luxury of having a handbag to carry around, we have a really great shopper from Sea To Summit. The Ultra Sil is like no other. It is made from Condura fabric which is lightweight, ultra tough and feels like parachute material. It is lightweight and packs up in to a pouch so small you can hang it off your keyring. The stitching is double reinforced and it can hold 130kg. I always have to say that it's not a typo when I type this in, but it isn't. One hundred and thirty kilos.

You could get a 2 litre water bottle, fill it up, put it in the bag, and then see how many more you can fit in there, fill the gaps with wet sand and still not have the thing break.

Finding the bags is easy, remembering to take them is the challenge for most, which is why we love this bag so much.