People are realising what ‘for life’ really means with Bags for Life

The introduction of Bags for Life at supermarkets and other businesses around the UK has changed the way we shop for the better.

Most of us remember the flimsy plastic bags we used to get at the supermarket – you were lucky if they didn’t collapse by the time you got your shopping home.

But, as part of a drive to reduce the use of single-use plastics in the past couple of decades, shops and supermarkets around the UK introduced the sturdier bags for life, which can be re-used over and over again.

But did you know a bag for life actually can last you an entire lifetime?

A discussion on internet forum Mumsnet was full of members surprised to learn that many supermarkets in the UK will give you a new bag for life for free if you take in an old, worn, or damaged one.

The person who posted the topic admitted they’d only just learned this themselves, saying: “Honestly, I just found out that if your Bag for Life gets damaged, you can take it back to the supermarket, and they’ll replace it for free!

“I always thought ‘Bag for Life’ was just a fancy way of saying ‘sturdier plastic bag’ – but no, it’s literally for life. How did I not know this?! Have I been throwing them away like an absolute fool all these years?! Please tell me I’m not the only one who only just figured this out…”

And it quickly became apparant it wasn’t just them, with many admitting they’d unknowingly been binning their reusable bags for years instead of swapping them for a fresh one.

Which supermarkets will swap bags for life

Here’s what each of the UK’s major supermarkets say on replacing bags for life:

• Asda: “If your Bag for Life breaks or gets damaged, we will happily replace it free of charge.”
• Sainsbury’s: “We offer reusable Bags for Life, made from 100 per cent recycled content. When they wear down, we replace them for free and recycle the old bag.”
• Tesco: “If your Tesco Bag for Life becomes worn out, bring it to the checkout and exchange it for a new one, free of charge.”
• M&S: “You can return your Bag for Life for replacement or recycling when they wear out.”
• Morrisons: No free replacements. Morrisons scrapped plastic Bags for Life and replaced them with paper alternatives.
• Aldi: No free replacements. Aldi does not offer a policy for swapping old Bags for Life for new ones.

“Many shoppers don’t realise that ‘Bags for Life’ are more than just a sturdier alternative to single-use plastic – they’re part of a wider effort to reduce waste,” said Richard Price from the online supermarket BritSuperstore.

“Supermarkets offering free replacements are encouraging customers to reuse rather than repurchase, which is a step towards more sustainable shopping habits.

“The fact that so many people are only just discovering this shows there’s still a gap in awareness. If more shoppers took advantage of these policies, we could significantly cut down on plastic waste and unnecessary spending.”