Leading the way in carrier bag alternatives

We’re all guilty of forgetting to take our reusable bags shopping. But at Tesco, we’ve come up with a variety of ways to encourage you to use fewer carrier bags.

A big thank you...

Simply by reusing shopping bags, our customers are now using 50 per cent fewer carrier bags – that’s 2.1 billion bags saved in the last year!

These savings have been brought about through incentives and rewards for customers who reuse their bags, such as green Clubcard points, which launched in August 2006.

Changing attitudes to carrier bags

Every time you reuse a carrier bag instead of getting a new one, you’re helping to make a difference.

Here’s how we’re making it easier for you:

Green Clubcard points

You said you’d like us to reward you for being a little greener, so every time you reuse any bags, we’ll give you green Clubcard points. The more bags you reuse, the more points you’ll collect. In fact it doesn’t even have to be a bag! However you want to get your shopping home is fine with us, as long as it’s not in a new plastic bag.

Green Clubcard Points in Wales

Tesco customers in Wales have saved over 500 million bags in the last five years. Thank you for this fantastic achievement.

To reduce carrier bag use further, the Welsh Government is introducing a charge for bags from 1 October 2011. From this date Tesco is required by law to charge customers 5p for every new single use carrier bag. To ensure there is a single approach to reducing bag use in Wales we will end our scheme of awarding green Clubcard points for re-using bags in store from the same date.

We will donate the net proceeds of the 5p charge to RSPB Cymru to help fund environmental projects in special places in Wales.

For more information on the great work they do, please go to www.rspb.org.uk/wales.

More details on the charge can be found on the Welsh Government's website www.carrierbagchargewales.gov.uk.

Mae cwsmeriaid Tesco yng Nghymru wedi arbed dros 500 miliwn o fagiau yn y bum mlynedd ddiwethaf.  Diolch i chi am y llwyddiant ysgubol hwn.

Er mwyn lleihau eto'r defnydd o fagiau siopa, mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn codi tâl am fagiau o 1 Hydref ymlaen. O’r dyddiad hwn ymlaen, bydd yn rhaid i Tesco yn ôl y gyfraith godi tâl o 5c ar gwsmeriaid am bob bag siopa newydd. Er mwyn sicrhau gweithredu cyson i leihau’r defnydd o fagiau yng Nghymru, bydd ein cynllun gwobrwyo pwyntiau Cerdyn Clwb gwyrdd am ail ddefnyddio bagiau yn dod i ben ar yr un dyddiad.

Byddwn yn rhoi elw net y tâl o 5c i RSPB Cymru er mwyn helpu i ariannu prosiectau amgylcheddol mewn mannau arbennig. Am ragor o wybodaeth am y gwaith gwych y maent yn ei wneud, ewch i www.rspb.org.uk/cymru.

Gellir cael rhagor o wybodaeth ar wefan Llywodraeth Cymru www.taluamfagiaucymru.gov.uk.

Bag-free checkouts

We’ve removed carrier bags from displays at tills, placing them out of view beneath the checkout. Carrier bags are only offered if you need them. By removing the bags from view, we hope to encourage you to rethink your habits when shopping and be less reliant on carrier bags.

Bagless deliveries

When you order your shopping with Tesco.com, you can choose to have it delivered without carrier bags. Instead, your groceries will be delivered in our green trays and we’ll give you one green Clubcard point for every 10 items you order. Find out more about bagless deliveries.

Reusable bags

We have recently extended our range of reusable bags with a greater choice of sizes and materials, including environmentally friendly jute and organic Fairtrade cotton. The range includes our ‘Bag for Life’, which is made from recycled materials and available for just 10p – if it wears out, we'll replace it free of charge.

Reusing, recycling and resizing

Every year the UK gets through over 12 billion plastic bags – that’s all of them, not just those from Tesco. Reusing them is the best way to reduce this number, as it avoids using up resources and energy to produce more bags. We’ve also cut the size of our carrier bags where larger bags aren’t really needed, like in Tesco Express stores.

Carrier bag recycling bins

Drop off all your old carrier bags for recycling at most larger Tesco stores and we will recycle them for you. Alternatively, Tesco.com delivery drivers will now collect your unwanted bags for recycling too – and not just Tesco ones. Find out more about recycling.

Fequently asked questions on carrier bags