Wednesday, March 24th, 2021
The Heart of England Co-operative Society is removing all Bags For Life from its stores in favour of a more environmentally-friendly alternative.
The Society, which operates a network of 35 branches of The Co-operative Food stores, will switch to compostable bags at 10p each to meet a mandatory government levy being imposed on all retailers nationally from April 30th.
The Society has removed all its single-use carrier bags and is now doing away with Bags For Life which are now causing damage to the environment as only a relatively small minority of shoppers nationwide are re-using the bags as intended.
It comes as the results of a study by Greenpeace and the Environmental Investigation Agency revealed sales of 1.58 billion Bags for Life nationally in 2019 – equating to 57 bags in every UK household.
Profit from the sales of Society bags will be divided between charities and worthy causes across the retailer’s trading area of Coventry, Warwickshire, south Leicestershire and Northamptonshire.
Using less carbon, compostable bags are a more sustainable alternative, providing nutrients for the earth and helping to significantly cut the amount of waste sent to landfill.
The new bags, which easily double up as food waste bin liners, are a perfect way for all Society shoppers to reduce their carbon footprint.
Steve Browne, General Manager of the Heart of England Co-operative Society’s Food Division, said: “It is well documented that single-use carrier bags are damaging to the environment, whereas compostable bags are a viable alternative which break down in 12 weeks.
“By switching solely to these bags, it allows our Society and our customers to all work together and play our part.
“We are hoping their introduction will encourage shoppers to reuse and recycle more, in turn helping to cut the amount of plastic going to landfill.
“By acting now, not only will this benefit everyone today but it will help build a better environment for the generations of tomorrow.”