Carrier bags

We were the first UK food retailer to sell certified compostable carrier bags, which are designed with the second use as a food waste caddy liner. We think the best way of looking at the bags is that they are caddy liners that you carry your shopping home in.

All single-use plastic carrier bags are being replaced with compostable ones in Co-op stores, with profits from these sales donated to good causes, through our Local Community Fund. You can choose your local cause here.

If your local authority doesn’t yet collect food waste, you can still reuse our compostable bag to collect fruit and vegetable peelings to compost in your home composting bin. Alternatively, store it at home to reuse another day or use as a liner in your general waste bin. It is important not to put this bag into a carrier bag or any other plastic recycling collection, as this means it will not be recycled and everything else in the recycling bin may have to be destroyed due to contamination.

We have also made the decision to remove Bags for Life from sale, although we will be selling the stock we have to avoid creating more waste. Following the introduction of the carrier bag charge, research shows that sales of Bags for Life have increased, and they are now being treated by many people as if they were ‘single-use’, only they have a much larger plastic footprint. By removing Co-op Bags for Life from sale, we expect to reduce 870 tonnes of single-use plastic per year. For more information, please read our report, ‘Bag to Rights’.