End of plastic bags good news for the environment

Aldi stores in the Netherlands terminate sale of single-use carrier bags 10 August 2017 “This is good news for the environment, because disposable plastic carrier bags all too often end up as litter in nature and the sea”, responds Rob Buurman from environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk on Thursday to Aldi's decision to no longer [sell] disposable carrier bags in its Dutch stores […]

Rob Buurman

Aldi shops in the Netherlands to stop selling single-use carrier bags

10 August 2017 “This is good news for the environment, as single-use plastic carrier bags all too often end up as litter in nature and the sea”, Rob Buurman of environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk responded on Thursday to Aldi's decision to no longer offer single-use carrier bags in its Dutch shops. “We hope that other supermarkets and shops in the Netherlands and Belgium will quickly follow this positive trend”.

“It is important, however, that single-use plastic bags are not replaced by a paper alternative. In the Netherlands, you currently only pay for plastic bags, which is why many shops have switched to paper. We need to switch to bags that are meant to be used more than a hundred times and are made of, for example, linen or recycled plastics”, Buurman explains.

At present, 100 billion bags are used annually in Europe. “The problem is that plastic bags end up in nature and eventually in seas and oceans. There, they pose a danger to fish and other sea creatures that get entangled in them. And when the plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, microplastics, they can end up in our food chain”, says director Rob Buurman of Recycling Netwerk.

Aldi shops in the Netherlands to stop selling single-use carrier bags

10 August 2017 “This is good news for the environment, as single-use plastic carrier bags all too often end up as litter in nature and the sea”, Rob Buurman of environmental organisation Recycling Netwerk responded on Thursday to Aldi's decision to no longer offer single-use carrier bags in its Dutch shops. “We hope that other supermarkets and shops in the Netherlands and Belgium will quickly follow this positive trend”.

“It is important, however, that single-use plastic bags are not replaced by a paper alternative. In the Netherlands, you currently only pay for plastic bags, which is why many shops have switched to paper. We need to switch to bags that are meant to be used more than a hundred times and are made of, for example, linen or recycled plastics”, Buurman explains.

At present, 100 billion bags are used annually in Europe. “The problem is that plastic bags end up in nature and eventually in seas and oceans. There, they pose a danger to fish and other sea creatures that get entangled in them. And when the plastic breaks down into smaller pieces, microplastics, they can end up in our food chain”, says director Rob Buurman of Recycling Netwerk.

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International networks
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Logo ANBI - Public Benefit Organisation
Our socials
No (Plastic) Filter
Deposit Alliance
Interpool
©2026Fair Resource Foundation

Website by Digitalnatives