AYR will be one of the first places to start using environmentally friendly carrier bags as the Co-op food stores roll out their project to remove single-use plastic bags.

Stores in Sandgate, Maybole and Symington are also at the fore of the retailer’s moves which will see around 60 million single-use plastic bags removed from the UK.

The bags will be compostable meaning they can be turned into peat-free compost along with the household food waste, and are approved for home composting. They are not-for-profit and will be priced at the same price as conventional bags used previously.

The use of shopping bags has changed over recent years due to green initiatives and environmental concerns. This seen shoppers being charged for each carrier bag they used to deter more being taken.

Shoppers - who forget their bag-for-life - can use the compostable bags to carry shopping home. The carriers then have a secondary use as food waste caddy liners and are initially available in communities where the local authority accepts them as part of household food waste collections.

The move sees a good green boost in Ayr as South Ayrshire look to become more environmentally friendly, and the Co-op has helped with this.

Iain Ferguson, Environment Manager, Co-op, said: "Our members and customers expect us to help them to make more ethical choices, and we are dedicated to doing just that. Reducing environmental impacts is, and always has been, at the core of Co-op’s efforts.

“The bags are carefully designed to help local authorities with food waste recycling and, reduce plastic contamination in a targeted way. Reducing the environmental impact of our products and eliminating single-use plastic is a priority, and we welcome measures designed to make recycling simpler and more accessible for consumers, which bring together supply and waste value chains to achieve a more circular economy.”