Unless you haven’t gone shopping at all over the last few years, you’ve probably noticed that more and more retailers are moving away from the single-use plastic bag that used to be so common. England’s own 5p plastic bag charge has ensured that larger retailers can no longer provide single-use plastic bags free of charge, and even smaller shops and businesses may soon be obliged to follow their lead.

The ban saw an 85% drop in single-use plastic bags in just six months, and billions have been raised for good causes. As such, we’re thrilled to see Morrisons taking things further by offering customers the option to use large paper carrier bags.

It’s not an option they’re ready to bring to all stores, with just eight chosen for a trial period. Since customers have indicated that reducing plastic packaging is their top environmental concern, Morrisons have responded by increasing the price of standard plastic carrier bags from 10p to 15p and providing optional large paper carrier bags.

The problem with most supermarkets in the UK is that plastic bags still need to be used for larger shops; most only stock paper bags for smaller items. These new paper bags from Morrisons follow the style you often see in the United States. They’ll boast a similar capacity to standard plastic carrier bags and have handles for added ease of use.

Each large paper bag – which will be labelled as a ‘Reusable Paper Bag’ – will be priced at 20p. Quite the bargain since paper shopping bags are tough enough to be used again and again before needing to be thrown away. When they do finally end up getting replaced, they can be easily recycled.

In the words of Andy Atkinson, Group Customer and Marketing Director: “We listen to customers. They want us to help them reduce the amount of plastic they have in their lives. These new paper bags do exactly the same job as standard plastic carrier bags. They are tough, reusable and can help keep a large amount of plastic out of the environment.”