Tesco plastic bags go under the counter in green move

The retail giant has introduced a “bag on request” scheme at its larger “Extra” hypermarket stores, where bags are kept out of sight under the tills and only given out if customers specifically ask for them.

Plastic bags are the current bête
noire of green campaigners. Up to 17 billion are currently given away
annually – three billion by Tesco alone – and they take up to
1,000 years to decompose, taking a damaging toll on wildlife.

The Britain Government has said that it
will consider introducing a mandatory charge of up to 10p per bag
unless retailers take greater steps to cut the number that are used.

Marks and Spencer, Aldi, Lidl and Netto
already charge for carrier bags. And several towns, led by Modbury in
Devon, have banned the distribution and use of plastic bags.