Waitrose is to remove loose fruit and vegetable plastic bags by spring 2019. Its 5p single-use plastic carrier bags will be gone from all shops by March next year. It said the move will save 134 million plastic bags, the equivalent of 500 tonnes of plastic a year.
Waitrose and Partners said a home compostable alternative will be used for fruit and vegetable plastic bags. The retailer said the new alternative bags will look and feel similar to the plastic ones, apart from printed text saying they are home compostable.
The material will break down in landfill if put in a normal bin and the bags can be placed in food waste caddies or home composted.
Waitrose will initially remove 5p bags from six shops from October 8, at Saxmundham, Gerrards Cross, Keynsham, Dorking, Newark and East Putney, to understand how to manage the changeover as smoothly as possible ahead of their complete removal in March 2019.
Earlier this year, the retailer announced it would be removing all takeaway disposable coffee cups from its shops by autumn 2018, according to uk.finance.yahoo.com.