Paper carrier bags for groceries might be something you’d expect to see in the US, but Aldi is bringing them to the UK – selling them in half of its 830 stores from July 2019.
The reusable bags are strong enough to carry 11kg of groceries, Aldi claims, but will cost you though – as the discount supermarket will charge 19p a bag, more than double the price of its regular 9p plastic carriers.
With downpours forecast, it’s not yet clear if the paper bags will withstand the UK weather.
Aldi will introduce compostable carrier bags to the other half of its stores, the supermarket said, as part of a trial which will last at least two months.
The new bags are made of a biodegradable material, called Bioplast, and are designed to be completely domestically compostable within 12 months.
There has been some controversy over the effectiveness of compostable bags, with recent research suggesting some biodegradable carriers stay intact for up to three years and don’t biodegrade in your compost bin.
But Aldi said its bags, which will retail for 6p each, had been designed to “be completely domestically compostable within 12 months”.
At the end of the trial, the option most popular with customers will be rolled out across all UK stores and will offered alongside Aldi’s regular plastic bags.
This summer Aldi will introduce two further bags: a reusable bag made from waste from the supermarket and a reusable cotton alternative.
“This new trial is one of the biggest we have ever launched because we want our customers to be involved and help us make the right decision for them and the environment,” Fritz Walleczek, Aldi’s managing director for corporate responsibly said.