Don't see why they need to make these bags re-usable. If I buy a limited edition artwork by a top artist for 50p the last thing I'd use it for is to carry my shopping in.

Sainsbury’s and Arts Council England are producing reusable shopping bags featuring specially commissioned work by artists Michael Craig-Martin, Anya Gallaccio and Paul Morrison.

The new reusable shopping bags have been created to mark Arts Council England’s 60th birthday and to raise awareness and debate about the role the arts play in people’s lives. The bags are the first in the ‘art in your hand’ series of pieces of original art. They have also been created to encourage shoppers to think about the contribution they can make to the environment by reducing the number of carrier bags they use.

Look out for 1.3 million of the artist’s bags, which are in Sainsbury’s stores in England and Wales from the beginning of November.

The larger bags contain work by Michael Craig-Martin and Paul Morrison and cost 50p. Anya Gallaccio did the artwork for the 10p ‘bag for life’ which Sainsbury’s will replace each time it wears out. They won’t be in shops for long, so make sure you get your piece of original art before they all sell out.