Aldi to run paper and compostable bag trial across all stores

From July, half of Aldi's 830 stores will offer paper bags, while the other half will offer compostable bags.

The compostable bags will cost 6p, and are made of a biodegradable material called Bioplast, which is designed to be completely compostable within 12 months.

The paper bags will be the pricier option at 19p – Aldi says they'll be sourced from sustainably-managed forests and will be strong enough to carry 11kg of groceries.

At the moment, Aldi's reusable bags cost from 9p.

The trial will run for at least two months, and the option which is most popular will be rolled out to all stores alongside the supermarket's other reusable bags. Aldi says it's also launching a new reusable bag made of back-of-store waste, and a cotton alternative.

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 also aiming to remove difficult-to-recycle packaging such as PVC and non-detectable black plastic from its core food range by the end of 2020, and to reduce plastic packaging by 25% by the end of 2023.

This is in addition to pledges it's already made to aim for all of its own-brand products to be sold in 100% recyclable, reusable or compostable packaging by 2022.