Morrisons to sell PAPER bags for 20p as it hikes plastic bag prices
The supermarket hopes the move will save an estimated 1,300 tonnes of plastic a year
MORRISONS is rolling out its 20p paper bags to all 500 stores across the country following an earlier trial.
It’s also increasing the prices of its plastic “bag for life” from 15p to 20p.
The supermarket hopes the move will save an estimated 1,300 tonnes of plastic a year.
It started testing the paper bags with handles across eight stores in January, when it also raised the prices of its plastic bags from 10p to 15p.
The paper bags will be available in Welsh stores next week, followed by English and Scottish stores in May.
The Welsh-made paper bags have a similar carbon footprint to its standard plastic bags, Morrisons said.
The paper is made from sustainably managed forests and the bags are strong enough to carry groceries weighing up to 16kg, it added.
Morrisons removed 5p carriers last year, which the supermarket claims led to a 25 per cent reduction in overall bag sales last year.
What do the supermarkets charge for plastic bags?
THIS is what the major supermarkets will get you to pay to take home your shopping:
- 5p – Asda, the Co-op, M&S, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose charge 5p for a single-use carrier bag – but Waitrose says it’s intending to remove its 5p bags
- 9p – Aldi and Lidl for a reusable bag
- 10p – Tesco’s cheapest reusable bag
- 20p – Morrisons, for both plastic and paper bags
The 5p levy was introduced in England in October 2015 and all large retailers were required to bring in the charge.
Figures from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs show that 1.04billion bags were sold in 2017/18 by England’s seven largest supermarkets.
This compares to the 7.6billion given out in 2014 – the equivalent of 140 bags per person.
That is an 86 per cent drop in plastic bag use since the scheme was introduced.
Andy Atkinson, group customer and marketing director at Morrisons, said: “We are taking another meaningful step that will remove an estimated 1,300 tonnes of plastic out of the environment each year.
“Our customers have told us that reducing plastic is their number one environmental concern so introducing the paper bag across the nation will provide another way of reducing the plastic in their lives.”
Last summer, Iceland re-introduced 10p paper bags in a bid to cut plastic waste.
And in February this year, Aldi scrapped 5p plastic bags and instead introduced reusable ones for 9p.
The plastic bag charge is set to double to 10p per bag despite fears eco-tax is backfiring and creating waste.
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