The UK’s biggest supermarket is pushing up the price of its cheapest bag for life by 10p as it encourages customers to cut down on plastic
15:05, 29 Oct 2025Updated 15:23, 29 Oct 2025
Tesco has raised the price of its plastic bags – sparking outrage in some shoppers(Image: Getty)
From today, a carrier bag at Tesco will set you back 40p. Britain’s largest supermarket has increased the cost of its most affordable bag for life by 10p in a bid to encourage shoppers to reduce plastic usage.
The move has sparked divided opinions amongst customers, with some branding it “ridiculous” whilst others argue it’s high time people “start adapting and stop whining”.
“People are complaining. Just take your own bags. That was the whole purpose of bag charges: to encourage people to use reusable bags,” one person said on Facebook.
Another said: “What a joke. It’s ridiculous. There are bigger problems in the world than all this plastic reduction crap… why not switch to paper bags like they had in the 1980s. One customer wrote: “40p? That’s an absolute disgrace.”
Another posted: “40 pence? They’re burning the place to the ground.” However, someone else pointed out: “Everyone moaning about the price…the whole point is to encourage you to reuse your existing bags. You can get them replaced free of charge when they break. Put them back in the car once you’ve unpacked them. Have one in your handbag (it only applies to those who carry handbags, I’m afraid!) A lot of supermarkets have cardboard boxes at the checkouts, use those if you’ve forgotten a bag?”
James said: “Really wish there was some sort of buy back scheme. We’ve probably upwards of a hundred Tesco bags stashed away because on the occasion we forget to bring them, we have to buy several new ones. But they’re too valuable to just throw away at home. Perhaps they could offer 20p for buy back? Or maybe 30 clubcard points.”
The move sparked mixed views across social media. “Instead of moaning, just take your own bag to the shop,” one shopper posted on Facebook. Another argued: “This is absolutely ridiculous if I forget my carrier bag, it’s their loss – just don’t buy anything.”
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We encourage customers to bring shopping bags with them to cut down on plastic, but we sell a wide range of reusable bags in case they are needed. Our cheapest bags for life cost 40p and are made of 100% recycled plastic. They can be reused many times, and if they become worn out can be replaced for free at our customer service desks and recycled again.”
The retailer discontinued single-use plastic bags back in 2017. Supermarkets and other large retailers have been required to charge for all plastic bags since 2015, initially at least 5p and later 10p or more.
Tesco in 2017 announced all single-use bags in its stores would be replaced by a ‘bag for life’ made from 94% recycled plastic. It was initially sold for 10p. The bags are now made from 100% recycled plastic.
The number of single-use plastic bags sold in England has risen by 7% in the past year, according to data released by Defra in August.
The 102 retailers in England who report the data sold 437 million single-use carrier bags in the year to April, up from 407 million in the previous year.
All parts of the UK now have a single-use carrier bag charge in operation. Originally, the charge was set at 5p. This has now been increased to 10p in England and Scotland, and to 25p in Northern Ireland.
In England, Wales and Scotland, retailers are free to use the proceeds of the charge as they wish, although they are strongly encouraged to donate them to “good causes”. In Northern Ireland, regulations require that the proceeds go to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, Defra said
Defra explained: “The charges were introduced because of concerns about the numbers of single use plastic bags given away for free by retailers and which were then commonly discarded. It was estimated that in 2013 supermarkets gave out over 8 billion single use carrier bags across the UK; nearly 130 bags per person.
“The production and disposal of plastic bags can also have a negative impact on the environment, through the oil used in their creation and the tonnes of plastic which go into landfill. Plastic bags can be particularly damaging for marine environments. It can be ingested by fish, birds and other marine wildlife, and it can entangle marine mammals.”
The total figure of single-use plastic bags sold for the year to April 2025 is equivalent to around eight single-use plastic carrier bags per person in the UK.