Save money and the environment while you have the chance to pick up a free reusable bag from your local shop.

The North London Waste Authority (NLWA) has launched the third year of its ‘Bag It Up and Reuse It’ campaign to give away bags for life to shoppers in smaller outlets.

Small shops are exempt from the government’s 5p plastic bag charge, but the campaign aims to benefit resident’s wallets and the environment by giving away usually-costly reusables.

Three North Finchley shops are taking part in the scheme – The Green Ship and Carters Pharmacy in Ballards Lane and Broadberry Shoes in High Road.

In all, the scheme includes 21 small North London retails, in the boroughs of Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Hackney, Haringey, Islington and Waltham Forst.

NWLA chair Clyde Loakes said: “Plastic carrier bag waste can be a real nuisance, ending up as litter in rivers or the sea and posing a threat to wildlife, taking hundreds of years to break down.

“Through this project we hope to encourage residents to use reusable bags to avoid plastic bag waste.

“If just one per cent of North London households start using reusable bags, then 7.7 tonnes of plastic bag waste could be diverted from disposal in just one year.”