Co-operative Food launches compostable carrier bags
The Co-operative Food has launched a new compostable carrier bag that can also be used as food waste caddy liner.
Following a successful trial, the retailer is rolling the bags out to 400 stores in 81 local authority areas with food waste recycling schemes.
Made from a combination of natural materials, the new bags carry the seedling logo and are certified to the EN13432 standard. The Co-operative said the bags are strong enough to carry heavy, bulky items such as milk and potatoes but unlike conventional plastic equivalents they have also been approved for use as waste food bin liners.
Iain Ferguson, The Co-operative Food’s environment manager, said: “Every compostable carrier bag used is one less conventional plastic shopping bag in circulation. We believe they will have a significant impact upon the number of plastic bags which end up in landfill sites every year.”
Never Miss a Retail Update!The Co-operative said it believed that the new compostable carrier bags could play a role in encouraging more people to recycle food waste. Priced at 6p, the bags cost around half the price of food waste caddy liners bought on a roll.
Ferguson added: “We are the only major food retailer in the UK to offer carrier bags which are also compostable and carry the seedling logo. Our aim is to enable our customers to recycle more of the products they buy from us – from the leftover food and packaging, right through to the bag they use to carry their shopping home.”
