Asda scraps free plastic bags for fruit and veg - you'll now need to pay 30p or bring your own

The supermarket chain tested the removal of single-use fruit and vegetable bags in nine stores last year, but it has this month rolled out the change across all of its shops. Asda will instead provide reusable fruit and vegetable bags made from 100% recycled plastic bottles, but these cost 30p each. You'll need to bring your own bag if you don't want to pay.

The move from Asda comes after Lidl launched reusable fruit and veg bags in its stores in 2019 (they cost 69p for two at launch), while Aldi trialled the same in 2019 - a change it later made permanent (its bags cost 25p). Since 2018, Asda says it has removed 9,000 tonnes of plastic and committed to removing 3 billion more pieces of plastic from own-brand products by 2025.

Asda currently charges from 20p for its larger bags for life. Retailers in England employing more than 250 staff currently have to charge at least 5p for plastic bags. This is doubling to 10p from next month, while the exemption for smaller shops is set to end. All shops in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – including small retailers –  charge a minimum of 5p for plastic bags. This will also rise to 10p in April for those in Scotland.  

See our Supermarket Shopping Tips guide for help cutting your shopping costs, and our 13 ways to use less plastic AND save cash guide for tips on helping the environment.