Shoppers can get free reusable bags as part of a new recycling drive.

The North London Waste Authority wants people to trade in their plastic bags as part of the ‘Bag it up and reuse’ project, which they hope will get customers into the habit of carrying reusable bags.

The initiative has been designed to help reduce the amount of plastic carrier bags that are thrown away, and in particular bags that are only used once.

Participating retailers include Dominion Christian Bookshop in The Broadway, Wood Green, Just Write in Wood Green Shopping City and Big Green Bookshop in Brampton Park Road among others.

The navy-coloured bags, which fold up into a small pouch, are given to customers in exchange for a used plastic bag, the shop will then store the old bags for NLWA to collect at the end of the project.

A full list of participating retailers can be found here.