'Wasteful' Asda and Sainsbury's slammed for only packing two items per bag

My Account
Logout

Create an Evening Standard Account

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Welcome! Sign in here

Use your social network

Save time by using your existing account to sign in to Evening Standard

We'll never share your information or post anything to your account without your permission

Forgot your password ?

Registration

* indicates fields that are mandatory

Email *

Password *

Confirm Password *

First name *

Surname *

Postcode *

Country *

Mobile phone number

Username *

Gender *

Year of birth *

When you sign up...

You will have access to all our online competitions, discounted offers and can post comments on our site.

You will also receive The Weekender newsletter sent every Thursday - it’s full of fantastic offers and ideas for the weekend. You can update your email preferences in your account page when you log in.

Other newsletters and emails

Homes & Property Newsletter - Yes I want to receive the weekly email with all the latest news on property in the capital

Occasionally we would also like to send you relevant emails detailing specific offers either from ourselves or carefully selected partners. If you would prefer not to receive these then please tick the appropriate boxes below. We will never pass on your details.

I do not want to receive additional offers and information from the Evening Standard

I do not want to receive additional offers and information sent by Evening Standard on behalf of carefully selected partners

Terms and Conditions

* I have read, understood and agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of Evening Standard

Registration

Mail Sent for Registration Confirmation.

A confirmation email has been sent. Please activate your account by clicking on the activation link sent in your mail box.

Home-delivery staff at Sainsbury's and Asda are putting just two or three items in a typical bag, a survey found.

Sainsbury's used 11 bags to pack 33 items - five bags more than in the last survey three months ago.Asda used 15 bags for 32 items - up from 14 bags for 33 items last time.

Other supermarket chains, however, seem to be reducing the number of bags they use to deliver groceries to online customers.

Scroll down for more

Home-delivery staff at Sainsbury's are putting just two or three items in a typical bag

To deliver 33 products Tesco used just four bags, Waitrose used five while Ocado - a delivery service which works in partnership with Waitrose - used six, the survey for the trade magazine The Grocer found.

Environmental campaigners attacked Asda and Sainsbury's over their 'waste' of resources. Sandra Bell, of Friends of the Earth, said:

"It seems astonishing that some supermarkets deliver to their customers with an average of only two or three items in each bag.

"This wasteful use of resources appears to be yet another example of the reality behind the major supermarkets' green claims."

Mike Webster, of pressure group Waste Watch, said the nine biggest supermarket chains give out more than 17billion plastic bags a year.

"We urge retailers to look again at the alternatives - reusable bags, bags with recycled content or charging customers," he told The Grocer.

"For home delivery, cardboard boxes or reusable plastic crates should be considered."

A spokesman for Asda said it was trying to reduce the number of plastic bags used for home deliveries.

A Sainsbury's spokesman said the firm made every effort to ensure as few bags as possible were used and the results were "disappointing".