SYDNEY, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Australian supermarket giant Woolworths will stop providing disposable plastic bags at its stores nationwide from June 20, bringing forward a major green move that is expected to stop more than 3.2 billion of the items being handed out in the country every year, the company said Wednesday.

"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," Woolworths Group quoted its CEO Brad Banducci as saying in a statement.

"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."

Customers who do not use their own shopping bags will be able to buy thicker reusable plastic bags and canvas bags at the group's outlets, said the company.

At least two Australian environmental groups, Planet Ark Environmental Foundation and Boomerang Alliance, have backed the move.

"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," said nonprofit group Planet Ark Environmental Foundation CEO Paul Klymenko.

"Experiences in countries like Britain and Ireland have shown the introduction of small charges on plastic bags can end up reducing plastic bag usage by up to 85 percent as shoppers embrace reusable alternatives, and we have every confidence this can happen in Australia too."

Rival supermarket chain Coles last July also rolled out plans to ban its use of plastic bags within the year.?