Bags

Plastic bags are often made from oil, which is a fossil fuel. Oil-based plastic bags are not biodegradable: this means that we send billions of them to landfill each year, and they will still be here in hundreds of years time.

Plastic bags can also be made from plant-based materials, which are typically better for the environment and have identical functionality to normal oil-based plastic bags. These bags can be biodegradable, meaning they can be composted, or they can be non-degradable which means they can be recycled.

Supermarkets use many different types of plastic bag. Below is a quick guide to those available:

Type of plastic bag Notes Biodegradable? Renewable?
Ordinary plastic bags Made from oil-derived plastic. No No
Recycled plastic bags Made from recycled oil-derived plastic. No No
Degradable plastic bags Made from oil-derived plastics; will break down into small fragments in the environment. No No
Plant-based biodegradable plastic bags Made from plant-derived plastics that are compostable.
 Yes No
Plant-based non-degradable plastic bags Made from plant-derived plastics that are not compostable.
 No
 Yes

Alternatively fabric shopping bags can save you from ever needing another plastic bag at the supermarket. You can buy shopping bags made from renewable materials, such as jute, linen, hemp and cotton. These bags can be better for the environment than plastic bags.

Products and suppliers

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