SHOPPERS at a Taunton supermarket are to be offered paper bags instead of plastic.
Morrisons, which also has stores in Bridgwater, Minehead, Glastonbury and Wells, is to offer paper carrier bags to all customers as part of a drive to remove unnecessary plastic from its stores.
Welsh stores will be the first to offer paper carrier bags, from next week, before they are rolled out across English and Scottish stores in May.
The Welsh-made bags, produced from sustainably-managed forests, have been trialled in eight Morrisons stores since January and have proved popular with customers.
Andy Atkinson, group customer and marketing director at Morrisons, said: “We are taking another meaningful step that will remove an estimated 1,300 tonnes of plastic out of the environment each year.
“Our customers have told us that reducing plastic is their number one environmental concern so introducing the paper bag across the nation will provide another way of reducing the plastic in their lives.”
The store says they are strong enough to carry heavy weights up to 16kg and will be priced at 20p, which will be the same price as Morrisons standard plastic carrier bag.
The paper grocery bags, which can be reused and ultimately recycled, are labelled 'Reusable Paper Bag'.
Morrisons has also assessed the bag’s carbon footprint and it is equivalent to the standard plastic carrier bag - but can be recycled.
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