Sainsbury&#39s drops biodegradable bag scheme

The initiative to use fully-biodegradable bags made from tapioca starch was much-heralded at the start of the trial earlier this year. But the idea did not catch on with shoppers, according to the supermarket.

Recycling and resources manager James McKechnie said: “We didn't find there was much public interest. We decided not to use the term &#39b;iodegradable bags', because people didn't know what the terms meant. They didn't understand the term &#39c;ompostable' either.”

Expensive
And Mr McKechnie pointed out that the biodegradable bags, made by Worcestershire-based Biopac, cost “four or five times” more than their plastic alternatives.

The trials, which finished in October 2003, were carried out in two London stores and one in the North of England.

Instead, Mr McKechnie told letsrecycle.com that Sainsbury's would now concentrate on continuing its incentives to reduce the number of bags used. Under the Bags for Life scheme, customers can buy large, sturdy bags for 10p. When these wear out, the store will replace them for free.

The company runs a “penny back” scheme, where customers that save on new bags by using their own bags, boxes or carrier bags from any store – receive 1p for each bag saved. And it recently introduced the “super-shopper”, a heavy-duty bag sold for 75p at most stores.

However, Sainsbury's is planning to expand the number of its organic goods which are packaged in biodegradable materials, Mr McKechnie said.

Scotland
Meanwhile, in Scotland, there are plans to try and introduce a plastic bag levy similar to the one recently implemented in Ireland.

Backbench Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Pringle has revealed plans to introduce a private bill in the Scottish Parliament based on the Irish. This would see shoppers paying for bags alongside their shopping. It could raise up to 20 million every year, Mr Pringle said.

In Ireland, shoppers are charged about 10p per bag. Initial statistics indicate the levy has already reduced the use of carrier bags by 90% in Ireland, but there have also been reports of a corresponding rise in bin bags bought.