Tesco will no longer sell carrier bags

Tesco replaces single use carrier bags with new ‘Bag for Life’ that will fund community projects across the UK

Tesco has today announced that from 28 August single use carrier bags will be replaced by a new ‘Bag for Life’ made from 94% recycled plastic. The new bag will be priced at 10p and sales of the bag will fund community projects across Britain.

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The announcement follows a successful 10-week trial in Aberdeen, Dundee and Norwich, where Tesco found that customers bought significantly fewer bags. Sales of bags in trial stores have since reduced by 25% and customers found that the Bag for Life, which is replaceable for free if damaged, helped them move to re-useable bags.

Tesco has given out 1.5 billion fewer single use bags since the introduction of the carrier bag charge in England in 2015, but still sells over 700 million of these each year. Removing single use carrier bags will significantly reduce the number of bags sold and will therefore help reduce litter and bags sent to landfill.

Online customers will still be able to opt for single use carrier bags for their shopping or select a bagless delivery, which 57% of Tesco’s online customers are now doing. Tesco also revealed today that it will be removing single-use wine carriers and lowering the price of its ‘Carry me bottle bag’ from £1 to 40p.