You’ll need your reusable carrier bags if you shop at Morrisons, because the supermarket is introducing plastic-free fruit and veg aisles to 60 of its stores this year.
The supermarket chain will sell 127 varieties of fruit and veg loose, providing recyclable paper bags instead of plastic after a 10 month trial at three stores. The move will save 156 tonnes of plastic a year, the supermarket says.
The loose range will include everyday essentials such as carrots, potatoes and onions, apples, pears and oranges. More unusual fare will also be available loose including figs, persimmons and pomegranates.
[Read More: Morrisons aims to save 150 million plastic bags per year with paper bags for fruit and veg]
“Many of our customers would like the option of buying their fruit and veg loose, so we’re creating an area of our greengrocery with no plastic where they can pick as much or as little as they like,” said Drew Kirk, fruit and veg director at Morrisons. “We’re going back to using traditional greengrocery and we hope customers appreciate the choice.”
Customers who prefer their produced packaged in plastic will still be able to buy wrapped fruit and veg in a different aisle, Kirk said, showing there’s a way to go before all fruit and veg in its stores is plastic-free.
Alongside other supermarkets, Morrisons has been various steps to reduce its plastic in store. It hasn’t been completely free from criticism, however – last October it was slammed at Halloween by customers who spotted it was selling plastic apple-bobbing kits.