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Comment by tempestn | Hacker News Reader

I would love to see Amazon take the lead on this. They should be in a great position to do so as they move to doing more of their own distribution. Ditch the cardboard boxes and bubble envelopes and replace them with reusable bins and pouches that are picked up when the next order is delivered. (And to start with, at least get rid of those horrible bubble mailers that can't even be recycled, and replace them with an all-paper padded envelope...)

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Tesco in the UK (and I guess other supermarkets but I haven’t used them) give you the option of choosing not to have you groceries delivered in plastic bags. In that case they deliver them in the same reusable plastic trays they use internally. You give them back when you have you next delivery - or keep them for storing your junk as they are stackable and very durable.

The delivery vans have doors at the side with rows of shelves that these trays fit onto, so it’s a lot better protected than a parcel thrown into the back of a van.

Picture: http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Sa...

'Tesco in the UK ... give you the option of choosing not to have you groceries delivered in plastic bags.'

But the benefit has to be offset by those who choose to have bags because you get 10 times as many bags as you would if doing the packing yourself.

Not sure of the exact cost but there is a flat charge so it is the same for 1 bag or 100.

Doesn’t the bag charge apply to delivered groceries?

It does but you don't pay 5p per bag as you do in store, you pay something like 40p regardless of how many bags are used.

'Without bags' isn't always practical with some homes where there is restricted access.

Amazon did this for Amazon Fresh grocery delivery back when it was just in Seattle (and then in LA). Unattended deliveries, meaning left on your front porch, came in reusable bags and hard-sided plastic containers.

Ever since they ruined Fresh by just lumping it in with Prime Now deliveries, most items come in disposable paper bags with disposable insulation inserts for frozen stuff.

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