TWO local Co-op stores are at the forefront of the firm’s drive to ditch single-use plastic carrier bags. The Buckie and Cullen stores are among the first to offer compostable bags, part of UK-wide campaign which should ultimately see 60 million single-use bags replaced. These bags can be turned into peat-free compost along with the household food waste, and are approved for home composting. They are priced at 5p, the same price as the conventional single-use plastic bag being phased out by the retailer. Shoppers who forget their bag for life can use the compostable bags to carry shopping home. The carriers then have a secondary use as food waste caddy liners and are initially
available in communities where the local authority accepts them as part of household food waste collections. Iain Ferguson, Co-op environment manager, said: “Reducing the environmental impact of our products is, and always has been, at the core of Co-op’s efforts. “Eliminating single-use plastic is a priority, and these bags are carefully designed to help local
authorities with food waste recycling and, reduce
plastic contamination in a targeted way. We welcome measures designed to make recycling simpler.”