Single Use Carrier Bag Charge Like all large retailers we charge 5p for single use plastic carrier bags across all our shops.

We donate the entire 5p from our carrier bags to good causes. And to help tackle the plastic pollution on our beaches, we have donated £500,000 from the proceeds to fund the Marine Conservation Society’s clean up of plastics from beaches and rivers. We’ll also be allocating a further £500,000 to other projects which tackle plastics in the environment.

More specific information and legislation details can be found at www.wales.gov.uk, www.gov.scot and on www.gov.uk.

These pieces of legislation fit well alongside our wider work to promote the use of reusable bags, encourage sustainability and cut down on waste and litter. This is all part of the Waitrose Way philosophy of 'Treading Lightly', and includes:

• A large selection of reusable bags that can be purchased from our local stores
• The choice of bagless delivery for majority of online orders 
• The facility for our drivers to take your used carrier bags away for recycling
   

Shopping at Waitrose branches and petrol filling stations If you do not have your own bags, you will be offered the choice of a Bag for Life that costs 10p or a single use carrier bag at 5p.

Shop Online, We Deliver You can choose to have your online order delivered bagless, or in carrier bags. If you choose bagless, your delivery will arrive in crates, and once unpacked the driver will take away the crates. If you choose to have your delivery in carrier bags, Waitrose will charge a flat rate of 40p per delivery.

Shop Online, You Collect You can choose to have your collection bagless, or in carrier bags.

If you choose to have a bagless collection, you will need to bring your own carrier bags to the branch. A Waitrose partner will then pack your order into your carrier bags.

If you choose to have your collection already prepared in carrier bags, Waitrose will charge a flat fee of 30p.

If you choose to have your delivery to be collected at any of our locker locations, Waitrose will charge a flat fee of 30p. We are currently unable to offer a bagless option for locker collections.

Shop in Branch, We Deliver You can choose to have your shopping delivered bagless or you can purchase Waitrose carrier bags at checkouts.

If you choose a bagless option your delivery will arrive in crates and the driver will take away the crates once the shopping has been unpacked. If you provide your own bags at the checkout then Waitrose will deliver your shopping in these bags.

If you would like to purchase carrier bags at the checkouts the cashier will then charge 5p for each single use carrier bag requested.

The Courtauld Agreement Waitrose is a founding signatory of the Courtauld Commitment which was launched in July 2005 by the Government funded Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). By signing up to the Courtauld Commitment Waitrose has made a public commitment to support WRAP in delivering its waste prevention and resource optimisation objectives.

Further information

Proceeds from bag charging

We donate all proceeds from the single use carrier bag sales to good causes. The proceeds from Wales, Scotland and England are kept separate and distributed back into local communities. Details of the beneficiaries are reported annually on our website.

Proceeds in England are processed through a Community and Environmental Fund.

Waitrose Limited carrier bag record

ENGLAND

For the period 7 April 2016 - 6 April 2017

Number of chargeable bags supplied: 62,803,780

Total amount received from the sale of the chargeable single use carrier bags (5p charge): £3,140,189

Reasonable Costs* deducted: £0

VAT: £523,364.83

Net proceeds of the charge: £2,616,824.17

*Reasonable costs include compliance costs and costs incurred informing the public about the charge. We have not taken away any ‘reasonable costs’ from the proceeds of the charge.

ENGLAND

Waitrose Community and Environmental Fund: £2,616,824.17

Waitrose has committed 75% of these funds to the Alzheimer's Research Institute. The remaining funds will be used to support environmental initiatives.

WALES

For the period 7 April 2016 - 6 April 2017

Number of chargeable bags supplied: 804,118

Total amount received from the sale of the chargeable single use carrier bags (5p charge): £40,205.90

Reasonable Costs* deducted: £0

VAT: £6,700.98

Net proceeds of the charge: £33,504.92

*Reasonable costs include compliance costs and costs incurred informing the public about the charge. We have not taken away any ‘reasonable costs’ from the proceeds of the charge.

WALES

We donated the net proceeds equally to:

The Snowdonia Society £11,168

All Creatures Great and Small  £11,168

Mind Monmouthshire  £11,168
 

SCOTLAND

For the period 7 April 2016 - 6 April 2017

Number of chargeable bags supplied: 1,395,971

Total amount received from the sale of the chargeable single use carrier bags (5p charge):  £69,798.55

Reasonable Costs* deducted: £0

VAT: £11,633.09

Net proceeds of the charge: £58,165.46

*Reasonable costs include compliance costs and costs incurred informing the public about the charge. We have not taken away any ‘reasonable costs’ from the proceeds of the charge.

SCOTLAND

We donated the net proceeds equally to:

Helensburgh Tree Conservation Trust £19,388

Contact the Elderly £19,388

Bethany Christian Trust £19,388

Recycling Waitrose has recycled packaging materials such as cardboard and plastic from its shops and distribution centres for more than 20 years. As part of our legal packaging obligation, Waitrose spends almost £1 million a year to help recycle consumer packaging.

We also encourage customer recycling and our Waitrose shops offer recycling facilities for customers where feasible, the only limiting factors are space or local collection arrangements. As part of our commitment to encouraging customers to recycle, we provide recycling points for plastic carrier bags in Waitrose shops; our five Food & Home shops offer mobile phone recycling; and in 2010 we introduced battery recycling facilities in our shops.

Waitrose also supports websites Recycle Now and Recycle More that enable consumers to identify their nearest recycling centre and, importantly, the types of materials that can be recycled.

Working with WRAP, the British Retail Consortium and other leading retailers, we developed a standard on-pack recycling labelling scheme for packaging, which was launched in 2008. The initiative replaces the previous range of recycling symbols and messages with a single Recycle Now logo and an icon to indicate the recyclability of the packaging.

Waitrose also supports websites Recycle Now and Recycle More (these links open in new windows) that enable consumers to identify their nearest recycling centre and, importantly, the types of materials that can be recycled.

Working with WRAP, the British Retail Consortium and other leading retailers, we developed a standard on-pack recycling labelling scheme for packaging, which was launched in 2008. The initiative replaces the previous range of recycling symbols and messages with a single Recycle Now logo and an icon to indicate the recyclability of the packaging.

Recycling electrical equipment Electrical and Electronic Equipment is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the UK, increasing by at least 5% each year. The public dispose of more than 1.2 million tonnes of waste every year in the UK, and landfill sites are now reaching full capacity. Much of this waste can be recycled, and the resources recovered to make new consumer goods. The WEEE regulations aim to reduce the quantity of electrical and electronic items disposed of in this way, and will encourage everyone to play a part in protecting our environment for future generations.

From 1 July 2007, the UK’s Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) regulations allow members of the public to deposit old electrical and electronic items at recycling sites across the UK, free of charge.

To find your nearest recycling sites for waste electrical and electronic products, contact your local council, or visit Recycle More and type your postcode into the recycling bank locator.

As retailers of electrical and electronic products, both John Lewis and Waitrose fully support this regulation, and we have joined together with some of the UK’s leading electrical retailers to create and fund a new body - the Distributor Take-Back (DTS) scheme - which is helping to develop a new UK recycling network for waste electrical products.

Over the next three years, the scheme will make more than £10 million available to establish and upgrade recycling facilities across the UK, so that customers can conveniently recycle old electrical appliances.

For the latest information on waste and recycling at Waitrose and John Lewis visit The John Lewis Partnership.

Since 5 May 2009, the UK's Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations require those who manufacture, import or produce one tonne of batteries or those who place products containing batteries onto the UK market to be responsible for the collection, treatment and recycling of the waste batteries. In the UK, we use 600 million batteries every year - an average of 21 per household. In 2007 just 3% of batteries were being recycled, the rest were going to landfill. The UK is aiming to meet a target of 45% recycling of batteries by 2016.

Everything from AAA cells to mobile phone batteries and button cells used in hearing aids and watches, must be separated from household rubbish and placed into designated recycling bins in shops or other recycling points. Recycling facilities are available in all John Lewis and Waitrose stores.

Our buyers are also aware of how this legislation impacts the products they select, and all our own-brand products, which fall under the WEEE and batteries regulations are clearly identifiable with a crossed out wheelie-bin symbol. As a producer of electrical, electronic and battery-containing products, we are also members of producer compliance schemes that take responsibility for recycling batteries and waste electrical and electronic products.
 

FAQs

Q: Why should I recycle my old electrical and electronic products?

A: This is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the UK and our landfill sites are reaching full capacity. Much of this waste can be recycled and the resources recovered to make new consumer goods. The WEEE regulations aim to reduce the quantity of electrical and electronic items disposed of in this way, and will encourage everyone to play a part in protecting our environment for future generations.

Q: How can I recycle my old electrical and electronic products?

A: To find your nearest recycling sites for waste electrical and electronic products, contact your local council, or visit Recycle More and type your postcode into the recycling bank locator. You will also find advice and tips on the website about how to recycle waste electrical goods and other household items, making it quick and easy for you to recycle more.

Q: How will I know whether the new products I buy can be recycled?

A: All new electrical and electronic products sold now carry a ‘crossed out wheelie bin’ symbol to help you identify which products are recyclable. You do not have to have purchased new electrical and electronic equipment to be able to recycle your old equipment.

Q: Will John Lewis and Waitrose accept my old electrical and electronic items back in-store?

A: No, unfortunately John Lewis and Waitrose are unable to accept old appliances back in-store. We do not have a legal obligation to do so and will instead be contributing to the funding of an alternative network of recycling points. Contact your local council or use the website above to locate your nearest recycling bank for WEEE. Your local John Lewis or Waitrose store also has more information on the collection facilities available to you in your local area.

Q: Will John Lewis still offer a collection service for large electrical products?

A: John Lewis and Waitrose Food and Home will continue to offer collection services for large white electrical goods and some other large electricals. There will be a small charge for this service. Your local branch can provide details. The regulations do not give you entitlement to free collection of WEEE from your home. Local Authority bulky waste collections and collection by the Charitable and Voluntary Sector remain unaffected.

Please help us to minimise the effect we all have on the environment by recycling your waste electrical and electronic products.