Stop! Before you bin the wrapping from March’s copy of Laundry & Cleaning Today you might notice that it’s not the normal wrapping.

Last month we pledged that we’d look into replacing the plastic cover and we’re delighted to have found this alternative. It’s made from a potato starch polythene which is 100 per cent vegetable based and compostable.

So don’t throw it in your normal bin! Put it in your garden waste or household compost bin and it will disintegrate like any other fruit or vegetable.

We’re following hot on the heels of national publications, including the Guardian, who switched to a potato starch covering just in January this year – the first national newspaper to do so.

Other national newspapers are said to be experimenting with more environmentally-friendly ways to distribute their magazines, supplements and advertising leaflets. A BBC article said that The Times was trialling biodegradable bags and “belly bands” – a looped strip of paper – and hoped to roll out at least one of these options “as soon as we can”, and a spokesman for the Mail on Sunday said: “We are actively investigating an alternative to polythene bags, in particular using a form of paper packaging.”

We’d love your thoughts on this approach and if you’ve seen any other alternatives. It costs us (not you) a little bit more, but we think it’s a price worth paying.