Morrisons is reviving traditional brown paper bags for loose fresh fruit and vegetables, in a move it says will prevent 150m small plastic bags from being used every year.

The paper bags are being rolled out from Monday and will be in all of the supermarket chain’s 493 stores by the end of the summer. Made from 100% recyclable paper, they have a see-though paper strip to help shoppers and staff identify the produce inside.

The move is in response to growing public concern about the huge volumes of plastic rubbish. Morrisons was a launch signatory to the UK Plastics Pact, an industry initiative that aims to reduce the use of single-use plastics and avoidable plastic waste.

“We’ve listened to customers’ concerns about using plastic bags for fruit and vegetables and that is why we are bringing back paper bags,” said Drew Kirk, a produce director at the supermarket.

Customers can now also bring their own containers to Morrisons butchers and fishmongers counters, with the supermarket offering 100 loyalty card points as an incentive.