Milk in a bag at Sainsburys

By Harry Wallop, Consumer Affairs Editor Published: 3:14PM GMT twenty-four February 2010

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Could this be the finish of the divert bottle? Photo: PA

Instead of picking up their divert in a cosmetic bottle, business will be speedy to cocktail a bag of the liquid in to their trolley.

Using 75 per cent less packaging, the bags cost somewhat less than the bottles. A dual pint divert bag the usually distance accessible costs 80p, compared with 86p for the same distance bottle.

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The supermarket insisted the bags are really strong and no business have complained about the bags bursting given they initial went on exam dual years ago. Sainsbury"s estimated that 3 per cent of the twenty-four million weekly customers, the homogeneous of 720,000 shoppers, have already switched to continually utilizing bags.

Though bottles, creatively potion and right afar plastic, have been the accepted process of offered divert given 1880, when they were introduced by Express Dairies, most alternative countries make use of bags. In China, India, Poland and Canada divert is some-more routinely sole in bags.

Initially, the supermarket will give afar 500,000 jugs, generally written to hold and overcome the bags. Thereafter, the mammillae will cost �1.94.

The association estimates that by switching from bottles to bags, it could save up to 1,400 tons of packaging.

This is the ultimate in a prolonged line of initiatives from supermarkets, attempting to inhibit critique that they are obliged for the infancy of jacket that ends up in landfill. Sainsbury"s has switched a little of the tinned tomatoes in to card pouches, whilst Marks & Spencer has stopped away jacket pieces of fruit.

Initially Sainsbury"s own-brand semi-skimmed divert will be available, with the 1 per cent divert apropos accessible after this year. The bags go on sale at the Sainsbury Local stores this week, with the superfluous 500 supermarkets stocking them by the finish of subsequent month.