Charge for carrier bags comes into force

The 5p charge for single-use plastic carrier bags comes into effect today (5 October).

The charge, which will apply for all retailers with 250 or more full-time employees, is expected to significantly reduce the number of plastic bags taken from shops. It follows the success of similar schemes in Scotland and Wales – in Wales the charge led to a 79 per cent decrease in plastic bags in three years.

In 2014, 7.64 billion single use plastic bags were given out by major supermarkets in England.

Environment Minister Rory Stewart said: "The more bags we take from the shops, the more plastic makes its way into our environment, blighting our high streets, spoiling our enjoyment of the countryside, and damaging our wildlife and marine environments.

"Simple changes to our shopping routines, such as taking our own bags with us or using more bags for life, can make a huge difference in reducing the amount of plastic in circulation meaning we can all enjoy a cleaner, healthier country. Many shoppers are now using eco friendly jute bags."

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have seen a dramatic fall in the number of plastic bags taken from supermarkets and we can expect a significant reduction in England, possibly by as much as 80% in supermarkets and 50% on the high street."

Plastic bags can have a significant impact on the environment – around eight million tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans each year, polluting our marine environment and harming our precious sea life.

Good causes are set to benefit from the charge, and as much as £730 million could be donated to charities and not-for-profits over 10 years.

More information about the charge can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/carrier-bags