Copyright manchestereveningnews
Tesco has introduced a major change that shoppers will notice at the checkouts from today. The supermarket giant has hiked the price of a plastic bag from 30p to 40p. Tesco said its 'bags for life' are made from 100 per cent recycled plastic and can be replaced for free if they get worn out. The supermarket ditched single-use plastic bags in 2017, with the bag for life now being its cheapest option. A spokesperson for the retailer told The Grocer: "We encourage customers to bring shopping bags with them to cut down on plastic, but we sell a wide range of reusable bags in case they are needed." The spokesperson added: "Our cheapest bags for life cost 40p and are made of 100 per cent recycled plastic. They can be reused many times, and if they become worn out can be replaced for free at our customer service desks and recycled again." The move has received a mixed reaction from shoppers with some left frustrated at the latest price hike. Reacting to the news on Reddit, user jamiesutton81 said charging 40p for a plastic bag was an "absolute disgrace", while CheeseGhosty commented: "40 pence? They’re burning the place to the ground." Known-Ad-3585 said the new price wasn't "half-bad" for a reusable bag, but noted: "If it's plastic then that's just taking the mickey." Others welcomed the price rise, pointing out that shoppers can simply bring their own bags if they want to avoid the charge, with some even suggesting that charging a higher price or getting rid of them completely would be a better option. skasquatch118 said: "Hike the price up even more. 40p is still a disposable amount for people so there's no motivation to make sure you have your bags when you leave the house. Now £2 a bag? I'm sure that'll get people turning round to get their own bags from home once they realize they've forgotten them." Pauczan echoed the sentiment, writing: "Should have been £2 each. People would remember to bring their own every time." WeaknessCrazy2412 said: "Time to get shot of the bag for life... Said this year's ago.. People have had plenty of time to get other bags!" Other shoppers urged the retailer to introduce an incentive scheme to return unwanted plastic bags to shops. JamesTiberious said: "Really wish there was some sort of buy back scheme. We’ve probably upwards of a hundred Tesco bags stashed away because on the occasion we forget to bring them, we have to buy several new ones. But they’re too valuable to just throw away at home. Perhaps they could offer 20p for buy back? Or maybe 30 Clubcard points." Whole_squad_laughing agreed, replying: "That’s actually a pretty decent idea. Return them for Clubcard points" Retailers first started charging for plastic carrier bags in 2015, when the government introduced a 5p charge to reduce the use of single-use plastic bags. Plastic carrier bags from supermarkets have risen in price since, with most UK supermarkets now charging between 30p and 65p for a 'bag for life', according to The Grocer. This year, data revealed that sales of single-use plastic bags have risen for the first time since the government enforced the minimum charge, which rose to 10p in 2021. Data from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) published in August revealed that shoppers in England bought 437 million single-use plastic carrier bags last year, compared with 407 million the year before, which is a rise of 7 per cent. Supermarkets put the increase in sales down to customer demand and the rise of delivery services.
