Morrisons to replace ALL plastic bags for life

The new paper carriers are 20p cheaper than the reusable plastic bags for life, which costs 50p following a price hike in December 2020 to encourage shoppers to bring their own.

Morrisons scrapped all single-use 5p plastic bags back in 2018 and instead shoppers could fork out for the more expensive recyclable plastic bags. Buy some shopper bags here shopforshop.it.

But the supermarket says that many customers were still binning the plastic bags for life after a single use.

The retail giant hopes the move will save 3,200 tonnes of plastic a year.

How to cut the cost of your grocery shop

SAVING on your shop can make a big difference to your wallet. Here are some tips from comparison site Money.co.uk about how you can cut the cost of your shopping bills:

  Write yourself a list – Only buy items that you need. If it isn’t on your list, don’t put it in the trolley

  Create a budget – Work out a weekly budget for your food shopping

  Never shop hungry – you are far more likely to buy more food if your tummy is rumbling

  Don’t buy pre-chopped veggies or fruit – The extra they’ll charge for chopping can be eye watering

  Use social media – follow your favourite retailers to find out about the latest deals

  Be disloyal – You may want to go to different stores to find the best bargains

  Check the small print –  It’s always worth checking the price per kg/lb/litre when comparing offers so you’re making a like for like decision as a bigger box won’t necessarily mean you get more

  Use your loyalty cards – Don’t be afraid to sign up to them all. They all work slightly differently – work out what bonus suits you better and remember to trade in your points for additional rewards

Morrisons first introduced the paper bags at checkouts in 2019 and one in three Morrisons customers have now switched from plastic to paper.

It now plans to roll out the new carriers in all 500 of its stores starting today.

The 50p plastic bags will still be available in most stores while the new policy is phased in. 

They will first be removed from stores in Scotland starting this month and then stores in England and Wales over the next year. 

Despite being made from paper, the new carriers are reusable, recyclable, water-resistant and tear-resistant, Morrisons says.

They are 100% PEFC accredited meaning they are manufactured from responsibly managed sources and can be easily recycled. 

The University of Sheffield also carried out a life cycle assessment of Morrisons paper bags, finding they have a lower carbon footprint than the plastic equivalents. 

For those worried that the bags won’t be strong enough, the supermarket says they can carry weights of up to 16kg each – that’s equal to 13 bottles of wine.