Degradable carrier bags launched

The new carrier bags are strong, reusable and free

The country's first degradable carrier bag is being provided at Co-op supermarkets.

The bag, available free of charge from Monday, will disintegrate to practically nothing within three years, it is claimed.

The move comes as the government considers whether shoppers should face a 10p bag tax - similar to one already in force in Ireland.

Although the Co-op is the first to convert, it is understood bigger high street names may follow suit before the end of the year, in an effort to cut waste.

We would like to see plant-based plastics being used or, even better, reusable bags

Mike Childs
Friends of the Earth

Shoppers in Britain are estimated to use up to 20 billion plastic carrier bags a year.

Only one in every 200 is recycled and each takes about 100 years to degrade.

Co-op claims the new degradable bag will be strong and reusable, with a special additive which starts the degrading process after 18 months.

This can occur either in landfill sites, where most carrier bags end up, or above ground.

Problems

And all that remains are small amounts of carbon dioxide, water, and certain minerals.

However, Friends of the Earth questioned whether any such petrol-based carrier could be seen as environmentally friendly.

Mike Childs, senior campaigner at the group, said: "One of the problems with degradable plastics is when they are thrown into a hole in the ground and break down, as there is no oxygen, the carbon turns into methane which is a greenhouse gas.

"We would like to see plant-based plastics being used or, even better, reusable bags."

Free bags are often discarded

The degradable carrier is provided by Hertfordshire-based Symphony Environmental Ltd, part of Symphony Plastics.

And Michael Stephens, technical director at Symphony, said Friends of the Earth was misinformed.

"There is oxygen in landfill sites in the upper layers and even so, the amount of carbon in one bag is the same as a human produces eating a slice of bread," he said.

Although the Co-op bag is the first such carrier available in Britain, Symphony already makes degradable rubbish bags using the same technology.

Environment Minister Michael Meacher is believed to be considering a tax on plastic bags following the success of a scheme in Ireland.

The 9p tax was introduced in March and in the first three months, bag usage dropped by 90%.