News
Aldi is changing how customers will pack fresh fruit and veg in its stores
Everything you need to know…
The much-loved budget supermarket chain is attempting to cut down on plastic waste so you’ll have to bring your own bags for produce.
The new initiative hopes to reduce the amount of single-use plastic used by Aldi shoppers, and will scrap the plastic bags used to package loose fruit and veg from nearly 900 stores.
Shoppers will instead be encouraged to bring their own bags or buy one of Aldi’s reusable bags for 25p.
Speaking about the changes, Aldi UK & Ireland’s plastics & packaging director, Chris McKenry, said: “Aldi is committed to reducing plastic waste, and evolving our approach to the sale and distribution of our bags is a critical part of that.
“We’ve already made good headway with removing and replacing avoidable plastics across our product range, but now it is time to step things up when it comes to bags and providing our customers with sustainable alternatives.”
The initiative is part of six pledges introduced to the chain in 2018, which include:
- Eliminate problematic plastic packaging (black plastic, PVC and EPS) from Core Range Food by 2020
- 100% of own-label packaging to be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2022 (and Branded products by 2025)
- Reduce plastic packaging by 50% by 2025 (against a 2019 baseline)
- Reduce all packaging by 50% by 2025 (against a 2015 baseline)
- 50% of plastic packaging to be made of recycled content by 2025 (30% by 2021)
- 100% pulp-based packaging across Core Range must be FSC or PEFC certified or made of minimum 70% recycled content by 2020
The supermarket chain says it has already removed 6,000 tonnes of plastic from own-label products and replaced more than 3,200 tonnes of unrecyclable plastic with recyclable alternatives.
Some shoppers aren’t keen on the idea, though, because of ‘dirty hands’ handling fresh food. However, most products are available pre-packed for customers who don’t want to take part in the recycling initiative.
Commuters could be facing the steepest rise in the cost of train travel in more than a decade just months after prices were already increased.
It has been predicted today that train prices across England and Wales could rise by nearly 5% before the New Year.
The 2021 rise in prices was delayed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic when train travel was at an all-time low, however, tickets still saw a price rise of 2.6% in March.
Abhijit Tembhekar / Flickr
And this morning, the Retail Prices Index for July 2021 was confirmed as 3.8% by the Office for National Statistics, meaning passengers could see fares rise by 4.8% in 2022, which would be the largest hike since 2012.
This means that the cost of rail travel could increase twice within ten months, and would see a Manchester-Glasgow off-peak return rise by £6.30 to £94.90, according to Metro.
Though all hope isn’t yet gone – changes to the fares in 2022 are still yet to be confirmed.
Jon David Houghton / Wikimedia Commons
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “No decision has been made on national rail fares.
“The government is considering a variety of options and we will announce our decision in due course.”
This news has come as train travel in Manchester and beyond is on the rise – earlier this month, we reported that zero cases of Covid were found in Manchester Piccadilly Train Station, despite thousands of commuters using the station’s services as offices reopen.
News
UK to welcome more than 20,000 refugees following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan
Reports claim that a number of these refugees will be housed in hotels near Manchester Airport
Heroic school boy clears 18 tonnes of rubbish which had been fly-tipped along country road
Kind-hearted Mancunians thanked after charity receives huge donations for Afghan refugees
Manchester has a new Indian bottomless brunch with fizz and cocktails like mango mimosas
Americans are baffled at how far people actually walk in the UK
Train fares set to increase again in ‘biggest hike’ for a decade
