Armidale store manager Natasha Ward said that the Target chain had made the decision following a positive customer response to the South Australian ban, however Peter Malinauskas of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Union (SDA) has advised retailers to prepare for some customer hostility during the changeover.

“Staff have a right to refuse to fill dirty green bags,” he said.

“We also want to make sure that they aren’t the recipients of abuse from customers if they are upset they can no longer get a plastic bag.”

The national removal of Target plastic bags will reduce the stores’ impact on the environment, preventing more than 100 million bags from going to landfill every year.

Target customers will have to bring their own shopping bag, or purchase a reusable one.

Armidale Target will sell a range of bags, including reusable bags for one dollar and compostable ones for 10 cents.

The store will also sell ‘Red Bags,’ which will raise funds for The Alannah and Madeline Foundation, a charity that runs programs to protect children from violence.

The upcoming removal of plastic bags is currently being promoted in-store.

The Target chain’s decision has been welcomed by John Dee, who founded the National Plastic Bag Campaign, a group which lobbies for a national ban on plastic bags.

“It’s wonderful to see a major national retailer taking the lead by removing plastic shopping bags from its stores,” Mr Dee said.

“In addition to reducing plastic bag litter, customers can avoid paying for bags by bringing their own reusable bags to a Target store.”