Lidl has increased the prices of its plastic bags, triggering outrage from customers.
The German supermarket has upped the prices on its shopping bags from 30p to 40p.
Enraged customers have flooded social media expressing their fury. One posted to Reddit, saying: “I remember when it was like 5/10p?! What a joke. Soon it will be a pound.”
Another added: “They need to stop making plastic bags if they want to solve the problem of waste… monetising it doesn’t help.”
Another customer took to Trustpilot to say: “I have noticed that every time I need to buy a plastic bag, the price keeps going up. It started at 15p and now it’s 40p each, which is ridiculous. It’s so unfair that we have to pay so much for these bags.”
Others have taken to commenting that it is the responsibility of the customer to remember to bring one from home.
But it has been reported that customers can ask for a free replacement bag when their bag deteriorates.
This comes after similar price increases from competitors Sainsbury’s and Tesco, leading to a similarly unhappy reception from customers.
Sainsbury's recently said it would be upping the price of reusable bags from 30p to 40p due to “rising costs”.
One person complained on X: “My local Sainsbury’s has increased the cost of a bag to 40p. 40 B***** PENCE.
“This is totally insane. We will lead the crusade against this tyrannical corporate greed!”.
Last month, a spokesperson for Tesco 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.”
A spokesperson for Sainsbury’s also defended the decision, saying: “We’ve kept the price of our Bag for Life the same for three years.
“We recently updated it to balance rising costs and our continued donations to good causes, including initiatives tackling food poverty, which are supported by all profits from the sales.
“Each bag is made from 100% recycled plastic and can be replaced for free when it wears out or is damaged.”
In 2015, the supermarkets were forced to charge 5p for single-use carrier bags, and in 2021, this price was raised to 10p by the government.
These thinner bags have been phased out in exchange for the thicker and more durable “bags for life”.
Supermarkets are not legally required to charge for these bags, but the price of them has been slowly increasing over the years.
How does the price of Lidl’s bags compare to competitors?
Aldi’s Eco Loop bags, which are made from recycled polyethylene collected from the shop’s in-store plastic waste, are priced up at 40p.
Morrisons has two main options – a 40p reusable paper bag and a 60p reusable plastic bag.
Aldi, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons all offer free replacements for their bags once they deteriorate.
Bags For Life are not offered by Waitrose, but thicker reusable bags are available and cost upwards of £1.
Iceland offers woven reusable bags for £1.
