Southern Co-op buries bags for life

Southern Co-op, which is removing all single-use carrier bags and plastic bags for life from sale, is urging shoppers to switch to reusable bags to help tackle climate change.

The regional co-operative has just over 200 convenience stores across the south of England and is hoping to deter customers from treating bags for life as if they were single-use.

One alternative will be compostable carrier bags available for 10p which are a more environmentally responsible choice and have a secondary use as a food waste caddy liner in the home.

The bags are certified compostable and can be collected as part of Local Authority household food waste collections or are suitable for use in home compost bins.

"For years we have been asking our customers and members to bring bags with them so this is naturally the next step - removing the option of buying single use plastic bags or using a plastic bag for life as the next cheapest alternative," said Gemma Lacey, Director for Sustainability and Communications.

"We have a duty to act against climate change and to give our customers a way to be more environmentally responsible. However, as our stores are based on convenience, we understand that people might not be carrying a bag with them, so the compostable bag is a more responsible alternative to plastic."

Plastic bags for life are being replaced by durable fold-away bags and large "shoppers", with a current price of £1, to encourage customers to reuse them instead of treating them as single-use.

The switch has already taken place in many stores with other changeovers taking place over the next month or so as stores work through the remaining stock of existing bags.