Supermarket shopping bags - your #1 choices at the checkout have changed. Make the smart choice today

Yesterday, it was announced in the media that Woolworths have gone back on their promise to only sell paper bags made in Australia as their supermarket shopping bags of choice, a decision they made over 2 years ago now. Never one to go for a click bait headline, I kept reading.

Woolworths had made the decision to stop selling the plastic bags at the checkout for people who don't bring a reusable shopping bag with them. You can see what they offer now on their official site here. The backflip is an understandable one, and one that can be prevented by more people remembering to take their own reusable shopping bags and produce bags.

Demand for the paper bags is so high (sold at 25c each, as the cheapest alternative, now that the 15c plastic bags are no longer available) that the Australian manufacturer can't keep up and Woolworths had no choice but to source overseas. Woolworths have supported investment in machinery with their suppliers to try and keep up with demand, and the demand for these paper bags has created over 50 jobs in two manufacturing facilities combined.

Avoid buying supermarket shopping bags - Our top 4 tips to remember to bring your shopping bags

1. When you unpack your groceries, put them straight back in the car
2. Hang something on your keyring that reminds you, it can be anything, something bright, something fun, something nostalgic, just something that reminds you of shopping. It can even be a compact shopping bag
3. Put a note on the back of your front door saying "Are you going to the supermarket"
4. Leave a stack of shopping bags in the way somewhere you need to walk past when you leave the house

If you're someone who never needs to buy supermarket shopping bags and always bring your own, whatever you do, just remember to reuse and wash your bags on a regular basis. The longest lasting bags are not plastic free, but they're made of nylon and if you buy good quality ones, you'll have them for a decade or more. The best eco bag that leaves the smallest footprint is a bag made from jute.