Store points in the bag for eco-friendly supermarket customers

Supermarket chain Tesco has announced plans to award Clubcard points – which can be redeemed for money off in store goods – to customers who reuse their plastic carrier bags.

In an effort to reduce the waste from the number of bags it hands out, currently a staggering 4 billion each year, the company has decided to reward customers who bring their own carriers to the tills – even if they come from rival brands.

The scheme will be launched on August 14 and Tesco hopes it will help cut the number of bags it produces by 25% over the next two years.

Earlier this year furniture retailers Ikea went a step further and introduced a charge for new plastic bags in an effort to encourage customers to reuse them (see related story).

Sam Bond