A NEW environmental initiative which aims to reduce the number of carrier bags abandoned in Burnley each year was launched at the town's Sainsbury's store.

The Bag for Life campaign is a joint initiative between Burnley Borough Council and Sainsbury in Active Way, Burnley, to encourage customers to buy sturdy, reusable bags.

The cost 10p and Sainsbury's will replace damaged or broken ones for free. Each year, 2,000 tonnes of carrier bags are thrown away in Burnley and Padiham. Most of them end up in landfill sites, where they can take many years to rot away.