Plastic carrier bag charge to double from April
The price of plastic carrier bags will double from next Spring and extend to all shops in England, as the government ramps up its efforts against plastic pollution.
The charge for single-use carrier bags will increase from 5p to 10p and small retailers – those employing 250 people or fewer – will no longer be exempt, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Retailers in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already charge a minimum of 5p for plastic bags, including small retailers.
A public consultation in England last year saw the vast majority of the public support government plans to raise the charge as part of plans to reduce plastic use.
Environment secretary George Eustice said the original 5p charge had been a “tremendous success”. Since its introduction in October 2015, an estimated 15bn bags have been taken out of circulation.
Environmental group Greenpeace welcomed the move but urged the government to go further. A recent Greenpeace report said supermarkets could significantly cut their plastic footprint by zeroing in on a few “problem products”.
The analysis shows that by changing the packaging for popular groceries, such as fizzy drinks, fruit and vegetables, and household detergents, retailers could reduce plastic by approximately 35 per cent.
Announcing the hike in the fee, Eustice said: “We have all seen the devastating impact plastic bags have on the oceans and on precious marine wildlife, which is why we are taking bold and ambitious action to tackle this issue head-on.”
“The UK is already a world leader in this global effort, and our carrier bag charge has been hugely successful in taking billions of harmful plastic bags out of circulation. But we want to go further by extending this to all retailers so we can continue to cut unnecessary waste.”
Earlier this month Morrisons implemented a trial offering paper bags instead of reusable plastic ones in eight stores. The supermarket said if customers were happy they could roll put paper bags at all 494 of its stores.