Store scraps free plastic bags

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Co-op to charge for bags

A major regional supermarket chain has announced it will stop giving free plastic carrier bags to customers.

The East of England Co-Operative Society will be charging 2p for large plastic bags at its stores and petrol forecourts from 9 September.

The society, which owns 135 food shops, said it wants to reduce the number of bags going to landfill sites.

A spokesman said: "We are reacting to what our customers want. It's been very well received."

He added that a trial in several locations in the region had led to an 80% decrease in the use of carrier bags.

Chief executive Richard Samson said: "This would potentially eliminate 30 million carrier bags every year from the region's landfill sites."

BBC Radio Suffolk's "Don't Be a Tosser" campaign has been praised by the chain for highlighting the problems with plastic bags.