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East of England Co-op commits to carrier bag
Archived article dated Tuesday May 6th 2008
The East of England Co-operative Society has announced its commitment to reducing the number of plastic carrier bags issued within its food retail operation.
Five of the Society's convenience stores and supermarkets in Norfolk, Suffolk and Essex will take part in a trial that will significantly reduce the number of carrier bags being issued. If the trial is successful it will be rolled out to all 135 East of England Co-op food stores across the region and ultimately to other trading departments.
From the start of the trial on 19th May free plastic carrier bags will no longer be available in East of England Co-op stores at the Rosehill Centre Ipswich, Wymondham, Wivenhoe, and the Society's two stores in Long Stratton Norfolk.
The bags will be replaced with a range of environmentally friendly alternatives. The trial stores will also stock the UK's first fully accredited home compostable carrier bag made from polyester and cornstarch, which sells at 6p. These bags are designed and certified to break down within 12 months in a garden compost bin, but they break down faster in the summer.
To get the most use out of compostable bags, it is best to use them for shopping a few times, then line a kitchen compost caddy or use them to catch vegetable peelings before putting them into a garden compost bin. They are not suitable for recycling.
The Co-op continues to be at the forefront of environmental and ethical initiatives and was the first supermarket retailer to promote the use of a Fairtrade cotton bag in 2006. The Fairtrade bag, which comes in two designs with long or short handles, can be hand washed to prolong its working life and when it eventually wears out it can be put on the compost heap.
In 2002 the Co-op was the first retailer to introduce degradable carrier bags; these bags are made from conventional polythene (plastic) with an additive to break them down within three years, while traditional plastic bags can take 100 years to break down if not longer.
The degradable bags break down to leave CO2 and water, with a little inorganic material. They are not suitable for composting, but they can be recycled in the new recycling bins that will be available in all East of England Co-op food stores. In the trial stores these bags will cost 2p for the large size and 1p for a new smaller version.
It is anticipated that the trial will last for 6 to 8 weeks and will be closely monitored to gauge customer reaction.
To further support the reduction in plastic bags going to landfill, Co-op standard degradable plastic bags will be removed from the front of till area in all Society food stores and their issue will be controlled by the checkout assistant; this will be introduced as a rolling programme and will be done as soon as changes to the checkouts can be carried out.
Richard Samson, Chief Executive of the East of England Co-operative Society said: “I am delighted that we are taking this important step to cut down on the number of plastic carrier bags we issue. Our Members recently gave us their backing for our ethical and environmental policies and I am sure they will also get behind this initiative and give it their full support.”
Mr Samson added: “We have been considering this issue for some time, but there has been a definite change in people's attitudes towards plastic bags in recent months and we believe now is the right time to make this leap forward.”
The Society's proposals have been endorsed by John Gummer MP for Suffolk Coastal. He said: “I am very pleased that the East of England Co-op has taken this initiative. It is a natural next step for a business that has already led the way in ethical trading.”
Also supporting the initiative: Bill Bryson, Norfolk-based author and President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said; “The magical plastic bag that doesn't consume natural resources to make, and disappears immediately without a trace hasn't been invented yet. So, we should congratulate the Co-op for leading activity that could improve our environment, while having an impact on another campaign close to our hearts by helping to reduce the number of plastic bags littering our highways and rural areas.”
As part of the carrier bag reduction initiative arrangements will be put in place at all stores to recycle clean plastic carrier bags via the Society's own Distribution Centre at Boss Hall in Ipswich. This is in addition to the cardboard waste recycling already being carried out at this site and is expected to be operational by the end of July.
A variety of means will be used to remind customers to remember to reuse their bags and bring them with them when shopping.
A recent poll undertaken by the Association of Convenience Stores in early April carried out by GfK NOP indicated that 59% of people think that local shops should charge for carrier bags.
Tagged as: responsible retailing
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