Waitrose has announced that it will stop using black plastic packaging for its own-brand meat, fish, fruit and vegetables by the end of this year, with the ban to be extended to all of its own products by the end of 2019.
And Alliance, which sells Tesco products in the Channel Islands, has committed to follow the UK retailer’s lead in replacing all of its 5p single-use carrier bags with a 10p ‘bag for life’, which is more durable and which customers will be able to replace free of charge.
The moves come after Iceland announced last week that it intended to end the use of all plastic packaging on its own-brand products by 2023 and introduce recyclable paper carrier bags.
In a statement, Waitrose, which has committed to making as much of its packaging recyclable, reusable or home-compostable by 2025, said that it was the first supermarket to pledge to stop using black plastic, which is difficult to recycle.
A spokesman for Alliance said that the proceeds from the proposed bag for life, which will be made from 94 per cent recycled plastic, would be used to fund community projects across the Channel Islands.
He added: ‘Since the introduction of a levy on plastic bags, the number of single-use plastic bags taken home has plummeted by 83 per cent. The switch to reusable bags is expected to reduce sales of plastic bags by a further 25 per cent.’
