In the United Kingdom, grocery store chain Aldi is getting rid of 5p carrier bags by the end of 2018 and will make sure all packaging on its own-label products is reusable, recyclable or compostable before 2022. Instead of the bags, they will sell reusable 9p bags made from “back-of-store plastic waste,” according to Edie. Aldi has even teamed up with competitors to create industry-wide change in the UK with a new cross-sector initiative from WRAP focusing on cutting plastic waste and is planning on launching the “UK Plastics Pact” to change the way plastic is made, used and disposed of to reduce food waste and reduce environmental pollution.
Aldi UK’s chief executive Matthew Barnes told Edie that “Our customers trust us not only to offer them high-quality products at unbeatable prices, but to help them lead healthier, better lives. That includes reducing waste, particularly around unnecessary packaging and plastics that damage the environment we live in.”