Supermarket giant Coles has partnered with an environmental group in a bid to tackle the challenge of plastic waste and recycling months after the collapse of its REDcycle program.

The retailer has announced a three-year deal with environmental not-for-profit Planet Ark to further its efforts in reducing food waste and packaging.

The organisations will kickstart a range of sustainability initiatives including waste reduction and recycling programs which Coles general manager sustainability Brooke Donnelly said would support customers in making more sustainable choices.

“We understand for many consumers recycling can be confusing, but we’re confident that through this partnership and the work we are doing at Coles to make packaging more reusable, recyclable, and compostable, we can help build trust and understanding for this important process,” she said on Monday which marks World Environment Day.

It follows plans to phase out soft plastic bags in all Coles stores and online beginning this month.

The supermarket chain previously vowed to stop selling them its remaining supply of soft-plastic bags by the end of June.

The move to reduce unnecessary packaging at the checkout is expected to take 230 million plastic bags from circulation nationwide within a year.

Coles group chief operations and sustainability officer Matt Swindells said the decision is proof of the retail giant’s commitment to affect positive change.

“The most sustainable option is to bring your own reusable bag to the supermarket but for those who forget, we will continue to sell 100 per cent recycled paper bags that can be recycled kerbside, as well as other reusable options,” he said.

The alternative bags have been tested to hold up to six kilograms of goods.

Coles removed single-use plastic carry bags at checkouts in 2018, saving an estimated 14,000 tonnes of plastic from annual production.

The paper bags are available to purchase in-store for 25 cents.

– AAP