Chloe Berryman visited a Central West Woolworths on Tuesday to buy deli meat and eggs, taking her four items to the express lane.

But when she passed over a new Kmart plastic bag to the staff member at the checkout, she said she could not accept it and Ms Berryman would have to pay for a 15-cent multi-use plastic bag. 

“But it was my own bag, it wasn’t dirty,” she said. 

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Orange’s Ms Berryman said she was too shocked by the refusal to ask for an explanation about why her bag did not pass muster.

“Isn’t plastic plastic?” she said. 

“To not reuse my bag, but buy another bag is ridiculous – I want to continue to use it until it’s no longer good and then properly destroy it.”

Ms Berryman is not the only one to have her bags refused, with other customers contacting the Central Western Daily with similar concerns. 

The major supermarkets followed Aldi’s lead in June and July, abandoning so-called single-use plastic bags in favour of cloth and thicker plastic designed to last longer. 

READ MORE: Bagging it out: shoppers not convinced by bag policy

However, a Woolworths spokesman said customers could still bring in the thinner bags.

”Customers are welcome to bring any bags they like when shopping at Woolworths, so long as they’re clean and hygienic for our team to handle,” he said. 

He said the Orange store would be contacted to ensure all staff were aware of the policy.

Have you had your bags refused? Let us know here.

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