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PLASTIC FANTASTIC

Can you cash in on your old 5p Tesco carrier bag? eBay sellers flog vintage ones for up to £5

Several listings have popped up on the auction site offering "vintage" carrier bags, after a new rule came into force this summer

IF you've got an old plastic bag from Tesco stuffed under your kitchen sink you could be set to make a tidy profit.

Vintage versions of the classic plastic carrier are selling for as much as £5 on eBay.

 Several adverts have popped up on the auction site offering "vintage" carrier bags
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Several adverts have popped up on the auction site offering "vintage" carrier bagsCredit: EBay
 A shopper sold an old carrier bag, which appears to have been released especially for Christmas in 1995, for £1.20
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A shopper sold an old carrier bag, which appears to have been released especially for Christmas in 1995, for £1.20Credit: EBay

Several listings have popped up on the auction site offering "vintage" carrier bags, after a new rule came into force this summer.

The Sun Online spotted that one vintage plastic bag sold for £5.

Another shopper auctioned off his old carrier bag, which appears to have been released especially for Christmas in 1995, for £1.20.

It's hard to estimate what exactly makes some bags more valuable than others.

For example, we saw that a set of three "collectable" red, green and purple bags sold for £1.99.

While one savvy shopper, who admitted he was not sure of the era his Tesco bag came from, sold it for as much as £2.99.

 The single use carrier bag, synonymous with the supermarket, was replaced with a new Bag For Life costing 10p
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The single use carrier bag, synonymous with the supermarket, was replaced with a new Bag For Life costing 10pCredit: EBay
 A set of three "collectable" red, green and purple bags sold for £1.99.
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A set of three "collectable" red, green and purple bags sold for £1.99.Credit: EBay
 Since the law changed in October 2015, larger retailers have had to charge customers for plastic bags
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Since the law changed in October 2015, larger retailers have had to charge customers for plastic bagsCredit: EBay
 Usage of single-use carrier bags has dropped by more than 85 per cent, according to government figures
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Usage of single-use carrier bags has dropped by more than 85 per cent, according to government figuresCredit: EBay

Some thrifty shoppers have kept their plastic bags for year.

Grandfather-of-three Martin McCaskie, from Mold, Flintshire, made the headlines in 2015 for re-using the same plastic carrier bag for 34 years - proving that you can really get a bag for life.

He kept a neatly folded Tesco plastic bag, made to commemorate the supermarket chain's fifty years of service in 1981, in his coat pocket for emergencies.

Tesco scrapped 5p single use carrier bags in August, following a trial in a small number of stores.

 Sellers on eBay are flogging old Tesco carrier bags for up to £5
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Sellers on eBay are flogging old Tesco carrier bags for up to £5Credit: EBay
 One savvy shopper, who admitted he was not sure of the era his Tesco bag came from, sold his carrier bag for as much as £2.99
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One savvy shopper, who admitted he was not sure of the era his Tesco bag came from, sold his carrier bag for as much as £2.99Credit: EBay
 One Christmas edition bag from 1995 was auctioned off for £1.20
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One Christmas edition bag from 1995 was auctioned off for £1.20Credit: EBay

Shoppers must now spend 10p on a bag for life if they forget a bag when visiting a shop.

Since the law changed in October 2015, larger retailers have had to charge customers for plastic bags.

Usage of single-use carrier bags has dropped by more than 85 per cent, according to government figures.


PLASTIC DRAG Tesco is getting rid of 5p carrier bags – and forgetful shoppers will have to pay for more expensive ones


Money raised from the sale of the 10p plastic bag goes to community groups and green projects.

The new bag for life is made of 94 per cent recycled plastic and will be replaced for free, if damaged.

Devastating impact of plastic pollution revealed in horrifying images of floating rubbish in the Caribbean


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