SYDNEY, June 20 (Xinhua) -- Australian supermarket chain Woolworths on Wednesday banned single-use plastic bags from its stores nationwide, in a move that is expected to remove more than 3.2 billion of the items from the environment every year.

"This is a landmark day for us not just as a business, but for our customers and communities, to help support a greener future for Australia. We are proud to say that from now on, single-use plastic bags are gone from our stores, for good," Woolworths Group CEO Brad Banducci said in a statement.

"What we're trying to do with this change is encourage more customers to bring their own reusable bags when shopping, so we can prevent plastic bags from reaching our waterways and reduce the overall production of plastics," said Banducci, adding that shoppers will be able to buy reusable bags from the group's outlets.

Rival supermarket chain Coles also rolled out plans last July to stop the use of the disposable plastic bags within the year, following similar moves by major retailers across the world that environmental groups have lauded.