SYDNEY: Dozens of supermarket staff have suffered abuse as two major Australian grocery chains struggled to impose a ban on single-use plastic bags, with one irate customer putting his hands around a shop assistant’s throat.
Woolworths and Coles last year announced plans to voluntarily remove free lightweight plastic bags from their stores nationally and instead offer more environmentally friendly reusable bags for 15 Australian cents ($0.11) each.
The Coles ban came into force on Sunday. Woolworths’ took effect on June 20, but the company was forced to delay the move by 10 days after customers complained, with staff bearing the brunt of their anger.
A survey by the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association — the union that represents shop assistants — showed that of the 141 members employed by the two chains to respond so far, 61 said they had been subjected to abusive behavior.
It included a worker being assaulted by a customer after being told there were no free plastic bags at a store in Western Australia state.
“A male customer in the self-serve area swore loudly at a female worker,” the union’s assistant secretary Ben Harris told AFP on Monday. “She provided him with some complimentary bags and apologized.”
The customer then made a mistake by scanning an item twice, but when the same worker came to help him, “he walked up behind her and put his hands around her throat,” Harris said.
Other customers have thrown grocery items on the floor and stormed off after swearing at staff.
“While we understand that some customers may be frustrated by this change, there is absolutely no excuse for abusive or violent behavior toward retail staff,” Gerard Dwyer, the union’s national secretary said in a statement.
He said the ban could also pose a health risk, with people bringing filthy used bags to pack their shopping without considering hygiene issues.
“In some cases, customers have attempted to use bags which contained vomit, dirty nappies or rat feces. This is obviously unacceptable and presents a serious health risk to retail staff,” he said.
According to US journal Science, eight million tons of plastic are dumped into the Earth’s oceans and seas each year, with toxic particles ingested by fish and, through the food chain, by humans.
In response to mounting community calls for change, all states and territories in Australia now either have a plastic bag ban or are planning one, except New South Wales. Retailers face fines of up to A$6,000 if they do not comply.
‘Bag rage’ as Australia supermarkets impose plastic ban
‘Bag rage’ as Australia supermarkets impose plastic ban
6 planets will parade across the night sky at the end of February
NEW YORK: Six planets are linking up in the sky at the end of February, and most will be visible to the naked eye.
It’s what’s known as a planetary parade, which happens when multiple planets appear to line up in the sky at once. The planets aren’t in a straight line, but are close together on one side of the sun.
Skygazers can usually spot two or three planets after sunset, according to NASA. Hangouts of four or five that can be glimpsed with the naked eye are less common and occur every few years. Last year featured lineups of six and all seven planets.
When will they be visible?
On Saturday, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye if clear skies allow. Uranus and Neptune can only be spotted with binoculars and telescopes.
What time is optimal for viewing?
Go outside about an hour after sunset and venture away from tall buildings and trees that will block the view. Look to the western sky and spot Mercury, Venus and Saturn close to the horizon. Jupiter will be higher up, along with Uranus and Neptune.
How to know if you’ve spied a member of the parade?
“If it’s twinkling, it’s a star. If it is not twinkling, it’s a planet,” said planetary scientist Sara Mazrouei with Humber Polytechnic in Canada.
The parade should be visible over the weekend and in the days after. Eventually, Mercury will bow out and dip below the horizon.
At least one bright planet is visible on most nights, according to NASA.
Glimpsing many in the sky at once is a fun way to connect with astronomers of centuries’ past, said planetary scientist Emily Elizondo with Michigan State University.
Ancient astronomers used to make sense of the universe “just by looking up at the stars and the planets,” Elizondo said, “which is something that we can do today.”
