Asda trials removal of plastic fruit and veg bags 

UK retailer Asda has announced is to dispense with plastic bags for loose fruit and veg bags at nine of its UK stores. The trial began on 7th September and could save around 141 tons of plastic a year, the equivalent of over 3.5 million bags. To replace plastic bags, Asda is offering ‘Veggio’ bags, which cost 30p each. Similar projects have recently been launched at Morrisons and Sainsbury’s.

Kevin Patel, director of produce at Asda, said,

“This is a really exciting step in our journey as we continue to look at innovative ways we can reduce unnecessary plastic from across the business and meet our target of reducing own-brand plastic by 15% by 2021. We know that our customers and colleagues are really passionate about sustainability and we want to make it as easy as possible for them to do their bit for the environment, without having to compromise on quality.”

Asda has also recently launched a 100% recyclable blueberry punnet, which allows customers to recycle the punnets and film together, without the need to remove the lid. Similar trials are scheduled for other fresh lines later in the year.