Woolworths has moved the timeline on its nationwide plastic bag ban, announcing on Wednesday that it will roll out the initiative from 20 June, 10 days earlier than originally planned.

The move will see all Woolworths supermarkets, BWS stores and Woolworths Petrol stations stop providing single-use plastic shopping bags across the country.

A few select stores will have bags phased out even sooner as Woolies looks to test the phase out program before broader roll-out in the coming months.

A single store in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia will test the initiative from today, with appropriate signage already in place.

In a statement Woolworths Group chief executive Brad Banducci said the phase out is the “right thing to do”.

“We feel very strongly this is the right thing to do, and that together with our customers we can help create a greener future for Australia,” he said.

“Our teams have been working hard behind the scenes to accelerate the rollout of this plan so we can start making a positive impact on the environment as quickly as possible.

“We know this is a big change for our customers and store teams, and we need to do all we can to make the transition as seamless as possible for both,” Banducci continued.

Customers without their own bags will need to purchase alternative options in store, which include a thicker reusable back for 15 cents and canvas bags for 99 cents.

The move comes as Queensland and Western Australia prepare to institute legislated single-use plastic bag bans from 1 July.

Woolworths committed to banning the bag last July when state governments began taking a look at the impact single-use plastic was having on the environment.

Coles has also committed to phasing out single use plastic bags, saying that it would stop supplying the bags in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and Western Australia last June.

Environmental groups Planet Ark and Boomerang Alliance backed the move, which will save 3.2 billion bags from circulation annually.

“Single-use plastic bags have become a huge problem for Australia’s oceans and waterways where they cause significant harm to turtles, whales and fish. They also don’t breakdown in landfill and require significant resources to manufacture in the first place,” Planet Ark chief executive Paul Klymenko said in a Woolworths media release.