Two supermarkets in the Netherlands announced this week that they will no longer provide free plastic bags for fruit and vegetables in an attempt to limit the amount of plastic waste. 

Two supermarkets attempt to reduce plastic waste

20 Albert Heijn (AH) branches were the first to take the plunge on Monday, completely removing all free plastic bags from the premises. Gradually, the supermarket chain will roll out the new policy across all branches in the Netherlands. 

By the end of the year, AH hopes to have banned their free plastic bags from all 1.000 stores. Customers will be able to pay 30 cents for a reusable nylon bag which they will be able to use for their shopping - similar bags are already on sale in their supermarkets, but AH has redesigned them, making them larger and slightly dropping the price. 

Several Dutch supermarkets still offer free plastic bags

ALDI has instead opted not to completely ban plastic bags, instead asking customers to pay one cent per bag. The new “bio-based” plastic bags will be made from sustainable materials, however, the German chain has said they will use up the last of their stock before switching over to the more sustainable alternative. By no longer offering free plastic bags, ALDI hopes to “send a signal to the consumer.” 

Lidl, PLUS, and Jumbo all continue to offer free plastic bags for shoppers. Both Jumbo and Lidl offer customers the option to purchase a reusable nylon bag, and while PLUS has said they see the free bags as a service for their customers, some PLUS - and Jumbo - supermarkets also offer a paper alternative.