Waitrose to Carry Out Two Bag-Free Trials

Thu, 10 May 2007
 
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A ban on free plastic carrier bags is to take place at one branch of a supermarket chain.

A Waitrose store in Saffron Walden, Essex, will carry out the two-week trial period following a survey that showed 90 per cent of the town’s customers were for the eco-friendly scheme.

Shoppers at the supermarket will have to bring their own bags to shop with, or carry their items out to the car one by one.

Waitrose will also be running another experiment during the same two-week period, where a selection of its supermarket stores will ban disposable plastic carrier bags being handed out at till points.

Shoppers passing through Waitrose’s checkouts from May 14 will be greeted with new ‘green tills’ which will be carrier bag free throughout 14 branches of the supermarket.

Ahead of the trials the grocery retailer has been handing out reusable ‘bags for life’, which usually cost 10p each.

The trial has been endorsed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) . It said the trial was being implemented to encourage people to be more environmentally friendly and be made aware of the environmental costs of their actions.

Chief executive for WRAP, Dr Liz Goodwin said, "These customer trials are another example of how leading retailers are responding to the Agreement to reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags by 25 per cent by 2008."

"We hope the trials are successful and look forward to the results," she added.

The move by Waitrose follows similar initiatives set up at other supermarket chains, which has seen Asda hold a ten-week trial of bag-free checkouts, giving shoppers vouchers as a reward .

Tesco is cutting its use of plastic bags by a 25 per cent over two years, with incentives for shoppers to reuse bags, while Sainsbury's have introduced the sale of its £5 eco-friendly cotton and rope bag, designed by Anya Hindmarch, as well as giving away reusable bags to shoppers.

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