Co-op to replace single-use carrier bags with compostables

Lightweight bags will be rolled out within weeks to almost 1,400 stores across Britain

The Co-op is to be the first major supermarket in the UK to replace single-use plastic carrier bags with lightweight compostable alternatives that shoppers can reuse as biodegradable bags for food waste.

The bags - a stronger version of the biodegradable bags the convenience chain has been trialling since 2014 - will be rolled out within weeks to almost 1,400 stores across England, Scotland and Wales, and then to all 2,600 shops.