ALDI stores in Annan, Dumfries and Newton Stewart are going to be trialling reusable bags for loose fruit and vegetables in an effort to cut single-use plastics.

From the end of November, they will offer the bags as a more sustainable alternative to single-use plastic. The drawstring bags are made from recycled plastic bottles and will be sold for 25p each.

It is the supermarket’s latest step to reduce unnecessary plastic as it works towards reducing plastic packaging by 25 per cent by the end of 2023.

Fritz Walleczek, managing director of corporate responsibility at Aldi, said: “We are committed to cutting the amount of plastic that Aldi and our customers use, particularly excess or single-use plastic like produce bags. We are hopeful that our customers in the south of Scotland will embrace these new reusable produce bags whenever they’re buying loose fruit and veg and, together, we will be able to take more than 100 tonnes of plastic a year out of circulation.”