Spinneys considers charging for plastic bags

A spokesperson for the chain's managing company said Spinneys could follow Waitrose's example by charging customers for single-use plastics

People shop at Spinneys in Dubai. The supermarket chain is considering introducing a charge for plastic bag use. Reem Mohammed / The National

Spinneys supermarket has said it could also begin charging for plastic bags, depending on the success of the Waitrose trial.

Last weekend, it was announced that Waitrose will become the first supermarket in the UAE to charge for plastic bags from June 16 as part of a 12-week trial at all of its five stores in Abu Dhabi. The supermarket will charge Dh0.25 for each single-use plastic bag supplied during the trial.

The two supermarket chains are managed by the Fine Fare Food Market group.

A spokeswoman for the group said the feedback about the trial has been “extremely positive” so far and that if it is successful, Spinneys could follow suit in charging for single-use plastic bags.

Last month, Spinneys opened a new shop in Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport.

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The DXB store also includes a bag exchange point, where customers can collect and drop off any used bags for other shoppers. It is one of the first stores in the chain to offer the service, which will be rolled out to all other locations in the next week. Customers can drop off bags from any store, not just the Spinneys brand, said a spokeswoman.