UK Supermarket Ditches Plastic Bags for Paper Alternative

UK supermarket chain Morrisons is looking to replace multi-use plastic bags with paper ones. They estimate that abandoning their plastic bag policy would save 3,510 tons of plastic waste per year.

David Potts, Morrisons’ chief executive, said that many shoppers now take reusable bags back to the store, and if they forget those, the store can offer paper bags that are tough, convenient, and most importantly, reusable.

According to Positive News, “The number of single-use plastic bags distributed by the major supermarkets in England has fallen by 95 percent since the 5p charge was introduced in 2015. However, millions of plastic ‘bags for life’ are still being issued annually, many of which are used only once.”

While many welcomed the news, Friends of the Earth noted that all single-use items have an ecological footprint, whatever the material.

Their plastic campaigner Julian Kirby said that even though the impact of plastic bags can be reduced by recycling and insisting they are made with recycled materials, for the UK’s waste crisis, it’s essential that more of the products are used again.