This major store in the Metro Centre is banning plastic bags and will charge customers for paper ones instead

The pharmacy giant has committed to ditching all of its plastic bags in all of its stores by next year, but the Metro Centre shop is one of the first shops to see the changes implemented.

A small number of shops, 53 in total, will be offering paper bags from today (24 June), with Boots saying all its 2,485 sites will offer only paper bags from early next year.

Paper bags not free

The company will however continue to charge customers for the new unbleached brown bags, despite them not falling under the plastic bag tax.

The recycled brown bags will cost 5p, 7p and 10p depending on the size, with all profits to be donated to BBC Children in Need.

900 tonnes of plastic

The move will see around 900 tonnes of plastic removed from stores as a result, according to Boots managing director, Seb James.

He said: “Plastic waste is undoubtedly one of the most important issues around the world today, with TV shows like Blue Planet highlighting the effects of plastic pollution.

“This year, we are transforming Boots as we celebrate 170 years, and the move to unbleached paper bags is another pivotal moment in that journey. There is no doubt that our customers expect us to act and this change signifies a huge step away from our reliance on plastic.”

A full list of the shops which will no longer provide plastic bags is as follows;

Nottingham Victoria Centre

Derby Intu Shopping Centre

Sheffield Meadowhall Shopping Centre

Cambridge Petty Cury,

Peterborough Queensgate Centre

Manchester Trafford Centre

London Canary Wharf Canada

Bristol Broadmead

Milton Keynes Crown Walk,

Exeter High Street

Cardiff Queen Street

Oxford Cornmarket Street

Plymouth Drake Circus

Leeds Trinity

Belfast Donegal Place

Edinburgh 101 Princes Street

Aberdeen Bon Accord Centre

Newcastle Eldon Square

London Sedley Place

London Brent Cross Shopping Centre

London Liverpool St Station

Watford The Harlequin

Bromley The Glades Shopping Centre

Kingston Upon Thames Union Street

London Kensington

Southampton Above Bar Street

West Thurrock Lakeside Shopping Centre

Brighton North Street

Jersey St Helier Queen Street

London Piccadilly Circus

Dartford Bluewater Park

London 193 Oxford Street

Liverpool Clayton Square Shopping Centre

Manchester Market Street

Birmingham High Street

Canterbury Whitefriars Shopping Centre

Chelmsford High Chelmer

London White City Shopping Centre

York 43 Coney Street

Bath Southgate Centre

London Stratford City

Dudley Merry Hill Centre

Bristol Cribbs Causeway

Reading Oracle Centre

Lincoln High Street

Gateshead Metro Centre

Salcombe Fore Street

Glasgow Braehead Centre

Glasgow Buchanan Gallery

Liverpool New Mersey Retail Park

Leicester Fosse Park

Glasgow Fort

Covent Garden