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Woman's disappointing find while walking on Queensland beach

A Brisbane woman has made a “disappointing” find during a recent walk along Turkey Beach near Gladstone.

Tarnie Larcombe wrote on Facebook that she stopped by one of her favourite swimming spots when she came across something wrapped in seaweed.

On closer inspection she discovered it was an old washed up Woolworths plastic bag. A quick investigation found that it was likely to be decades old.

“After Googling the history of Woolies logos we realised this plastic bag dated back between the 1970s to 1990,” she wrote.

“It just goes to show how long plastic and litter can take to break down. Please just pick up your rubbish.”

A tattered Woolworths plastic bag, estimated to be up to 30 years old, washed up on a Queensland beach.
Tarnie Larcombe found this plastic bag on a Queensland beach. It could be more than 30 years old. Source: Facebook/ Tarnie Larcombe

“As soon as I saw the bag I thought it was quite confronting at how old it was, but (it) didn't really sink in until we googled the Woolworths logos to see its actual age,” she told Yahoo News Australia.

“The state of the bag wasn’t all that bad ... highlighting how plastic doesn't even start to break down over a significant amount of years. (It) was very eye opening to me and my family who went out that day,” she said.

“Just shows the evidence is right under our noses,” she said, referring to the need to stop using single use plastic bags.

“If you take it out with you, (it) should come back with you.”

Ms Larcombe initially shared the picture on the Woolworths Facebook page. One woman commented on the post to say the discovery “disappointing”.

Last week, Woolworths announced it would trial paper bags in 20 stores, gaining feedback from customers before making it a permanent option across Australia.

“The vast majority of our customers bring their own bags to shop, but we know there are occasions when they forget or visit our stores unplanned,” a Woolworths spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia.

“Some customers have told us they would like the option of a paper bag when this happens.”

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