Morrisons says it will be the first supermarket to remove plastic carrier “bags for life” from its stores.<\/p>\n
The move will save 3,200 tonnes of plastic and almost 100 million plastic bags every year, the company said.<\/p>\n
Instead, customers will be offered paper bags which are reusable, recyclable, water resistant, tear resistant and can hold up to 16kg.<\/p>\n
These will cost 30p and be available alongside other reusable options including string, jute, cotton and reusable woven bags, costing between 75p and £2.50.<\/p>\n
Morrisons had already taken away 5p single-use plastic carrier bags in 2017, but it said plastic “bags for life” were still being purchased and there was evidence they were sometimes being used only once.<\/p>\n
The bags will be removed from Morrisons stores in Scotland from this month, followed by England and Wales over the coming year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
David Potts, chief executive of Morrisons, said: “We have been listening hard to our customers over the past year and we know that they are passionate about doing their bit to keep plastics out of the environment.<\/p>\n
“Removing all of the plastic bags from our supermarkets is a significant milestone in our sustainability programme.”<\/p>\n
Morrisons is aiming to complete a 50% reduction in plastic by 2025, compared to 2017, a goal it says it is on track to reach.The chain, headquartered in Bradford, has 497 stores employing around 120,000 people.<\/p>\n