Asda is introducing a new scheme to help reduce the number of disposable carrier bags used, by trialling a bag-free checkout over a ten-week period.
The UK’s second largest supermarket chain is following in Sainsbury’s eco-friendly footsteps by encouraging customers to cut down on disposable carrier bags usage.
On April 27 rival-company Sainsbury’s will hand out seven million free durable and reusable “bags for life”, valued at 10 pence each, instead of the usual disposable bags .
Asda customers will be rewarded with “green goodies for school vouchers” if they shop without a bag or bring in their own bags . The vouchers can be cashed in by local schools for a range of environmentally friendly items, such as DIY greenhouses, ant farms, papermaking kits, aluminium can crushers, and wind turbines .
If the new bag-free checkout initiative becomes a success then there could be plans to make it a permanent feature across Asda stores nationwide.
In addition, customers will be encouraged to trade in five of their old carrier bags for a reusable shopping bag during the same ten-week period.
British supermarkets are introducing environmentally friendly initiatives as they aim to respond to claims made by organisations and the public, stating that more effort is required from supermarkets to help the environment .
As well as Sainsbury’s and Asda, Tesco has its own eco-friendly scheme. The retailer rewards customers with green clubcard points for using their own bags, while other supermarkets have introduced carrier bags made from biodegradable plastics, which means that bags decompose after a certain amount of time.
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