Retail giant Tesco is anticipating plastic bag usage to drop by 70 per cent following the introduction of a charge of 5p per bag across the UK, which is being introduced today (5 October).
In advance of the move, Tesco offered a limited number of free Bags for Life at tills last week, before the charges came into force. The retailer will also introduce sturdier, recyclable bags to coincide with the new charges meaning that customers will need to use less bags per shopping trip.
Rebecca Shelley, Group Communications Director for Tesco said, "It is incredibly important we do our bit for the environment and we're really proud of the work we've done in this area, particularly in reducing waste.
"We want to do everything we can to help our customers minimise the impact of the charge as well as their impact on the environment, by helping them recycle and re-use their bags."
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Ciara Mooney. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
