Morrisons is to trial the launch of large paper bags for groceries at supermarket check-outs and is raising the price of its plastic bags by 50%.

The supermarket will now charge 15p instead of 10p for its cheapest standard plastic bag, while testing out US-style paper grocery bags with handles costing 20p.

Morrisons said the paper bags, which can be reused and recycled, were being introduced due to consumer demand, although they will initially only be available in eight of its 493 stores: Camden and Wood Green in London; Skipton, Hunslet and Yeadon in Yorkshire; Erskine in Scotland; Gibraltar; and Abergavenny, Wales.

The chain eliminated its 5p carrier bags early last year, reducing overall bag sales by a quarter.

Andy Atkinson, Morrisons’ group customer and marketing director, said: “These new paper bags do exactly the same job as standard plastic carrier bags. They are tough, reusable and can help keep a large amount of plastic out of the environment.”

Some have expressed concern that paper bags could have a greater impact on the environment than plastic alternatives in terms of the energy use in production, an objection raised when Morrisons – and more recently, M&S – switched to selling loose fruit and vegetables in paper rather than plastic bags.

However, Julian Kirby, waste and resources campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said: “We welcome this – especially if they scale up from a trial. What stands out is that the bags are designed to be reused and will be less resource intensive to produce than the heavier duty tote bags and fully recyclable. It would be better still if they were made from recycled material themselves.”

According to government figures in 2018, the number of single-use plastic carrier bags sold per year by seven supermarket chains – Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, M&S, the Co-op and Waitrose, along with Morrisons – has dropped to just over 1bn, down from more than 7bn before mandatory charges were introduced for large retailers in 2015.

The government is consulting on raising the levy to 10p per bag and including smaller shops from next year.

Meanwhile, Waitrose has launched a new £1m grant fund – using cash from the sale of plastic bags – for projects helping to cut plastic packaging and pollution.