SHOPPERS are being encouraged to change the habit of a lifetime and give up plastic bags and in return they'll be given free durable 'bags for life' and offered green vouchers which can be cashed in by local schools.
Billions of plastic bags are taken each year by shoppers, most of which end up in landfill sites across the country helping damage the environment. But now Asda has launched an innovative scheme it hopes will begin to wean customers off plastic bags.
Every time a customer brings back five old carrier bags they will receive a free Asda 'bag for life'. They will also be offered special green vouchers, but only if they resist the temptation to take away any new plastic bags.
The green vouchers can be cashed in by local schools in return for vegetable garden packs, recycled stationary packs and educational wind turbines and energy savings packs. No purchase is necessary, so unlike rival school voucher schemes, Asda's does not require customers to spend thousands of pounds in return.
The durable 'bags for life' are designed for repeated use but can be replaced free of charge when they reach the end of their working life, hence the name 'bags for life'.
The supermarket has also pledged to recycle any bags customers return to the store to prevent them ending up in landfill sites.
Ian Bowles, environment manager at Asda said, "It's simply not sustainable for shoppers to carry on throwing away billions of plastic bags each year. That's why we intend to encourage our customers to switch to using durable 'bags for life' instead.
Our new bags normally cost 5p each, with a penny of that going to charity. We will replace them for free if they break and we'll recycle any they bring back to prevent any more plastic ending up in landfill sites.
LANDFILL
Last year Asda announced it will stop sending any waste to landfill sites by 2010. The commitment means that by 2010 everything the supermarket disposes of at the back of its stores will be recycled, reused or composted instead of being sent to landfill.
It has also embarked on a complete review of its own label packaging to reduce the amount of household rubbish shoppers throw away each year. All of the products it sells (under the Asda brand) will be redesigned over the next 12 months, with the aim of reducing the weight and volume of packaging it produces by 25%.
