A plastic bag by any other name would be as nasty.

This week, Woolworths and Coles announced the phasing out of plastic bags in Australian supermarkets by 2018. So, what does this actually mean? Well, to be honest, not much. Yes, they will cease supplying the single-use plastic bags we all know and hate, but they will still make plastic bags available. Customers will be able to purchase heavier gauge plastic bags (on the premise they're re-usable, therefore greener) for about 15c each. Oh, and they'll continue to sell you the ruse of the "green fabric bag" - that's a great joke, that one... Let's chat about this particular joke for a moment...

How many of you have purchased handfuls of those green "fabric" bags, to avoid using

single-use plastic bags? A show of hands?..... Right. So, a massive number of you. I hate to be the bringer of bad tidings, but those bags are not fabric. They're plastic. Yep. They're made of green, woven plastic. Once you've used them a few times and they start to split apart, you throw them out and get new ones, yes? Well, once they get to landfill, they break down into micro-plastic fragments, like any other plastic bag. These fragments end up being lifted on the wind to waterways, or into nearby trees, where they pose just as big a danger to wildlife as any other plastic bag. Woe betide the naive customer who tries to compost them! They will be introducing micro plastics into their very own ecosystem at home.

So, what can we do to make this plastic bag ban truly meaningful? First, don't replace one bad habit with another. Don't buy their "reusable" heavier plastic bags, thinking you're now doing your bit for the environment. Second, refuse the green "fabric" bag.

You're only contributing to that same initial problem if you don't. Third, invest in truly green options to carry your groceries. Woolworth's Macro brand offers hessian bags for purchase - these are a much better option, as they are made from natural fibres that will last far longer than the green "fabric" option. These bags are compostable once they start to perish from over-use. You can also purchase Boomerang Bags, made from up-cycled natural fabrics and handmade by environmentally concerned peeps, such as yourself. You may even wish to join the movement and make bags yourself! Follow the link above for more info.

There are better options available to us, so we don't have to accept the "near enough is good enough" alternatives currently being offered. After a small initial investment, you can gleefully go about your shopping business, safe in the knowledge that you are now part of the solution, rather than the problem.