Morrisons considers removing plastic bags in favour of paper alternatives
The paper bags, which cost 30p, have handles and are strong enough to carry up to 16kg.
Monday 17 August 2020 17:12, UK
Supermarket chain Morrisons has started trials which could see it remove plastic bags from all of its 494 stores.
From Monday, it will be removing all plastic bags at checkouts in eight supermarkets, with paper alternatives being offered instead.
If the 12-week trial is successful, Morrisons will be rolling out the initiative across all stores, becoming the first supermarket to remove all plastic bags at checkouts.
The paper bags, which cost 30p, have handles and are strong enough to carry up to 16kg, the equivalent of 13 bottles of wine.
Removing plastic bags across all stores would save 90 million of them from being used - removing 3,510 tonnes of plastic a year.
At the start of last year, Morrisons was the first supermarket to introduce paper bags across all stores, with one in three customers switching to this option.
The supermarket is on track to meet its 50% plastic reduction target by 2025.
Chief executive of Morrisons, David Potts, said: "We believe customers are ready to stop using plastic carrier bags as they want to reduce the amount of plastic they have in their lives and keep it out of the environment."
He added: "We know that many are taking reusable bags back to store and if they forget these, we have paper bags that are tough, convenient and a reusable alternative."
:: Listen to the Daily podcast on , , ,
Most major supermarkets removed single-use bags following the 5p charge introduced in 2015. Asda and Tesco have both stopped providing single-use bags with their online grocery orders.
In 2017, Sky launched its Ocean Rescue campaign, which encourages people to reduce their single-use plastics.
The campaign has reached nearly 48 million people across Europe.
Find out more and see how you can get involved at www.AG百家乐在线官网oceanrescue.com