Aldi scraps 5p plastic bags

Shoppers who want to buy a bag will now need to pay 9p for its reusable bag, which is made from back-of-store waste. Aldi also offers a larger reusable woven bag, and says it is trialling a cotton alternative. 

Shoppers currently have to pay 5p when they buy a single-use plastic bag from a large retailer in England, or from any retailer in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. The Government is consulting on increasing the charge to 10p in England and extending it to all retailers. 

However, many major shops have stopped selling single-use plastic bags altogether – Aldi follows Asda, Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco, which have all scrapped 5p bags.

See Supermarket Shopping Tips for help on cutting your shopping bill, and also our 13 ways to use less plastic AND save cash. 

What else is Aldi doing?

Aldi says it's aiming for all of its own-brand products to be sold in 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2022. 

Last year, it removed black plastic containers on some fruit and veg, as well as non-recyclable pizza bases. It says it's replaced over 2,500 tonnes of plastic with recyclable alternatives since March 2018. 

What does Aldi say? 

Fritz Walleczek, managing director of corporate responsibility at Aldi, said: "The environmental impact of single-use plastic bags is no secret, and removing them from our stores is an important step on our mission to eradicate plastic wherever possible."