Plastic carrier bag charge to double to 10p from April
The fee for plastic carrier bags is set to double from April 2021, with the charge being extended to all shops in England, the Government has announced.
Small retailers – defined as those employing 250 people or fewer – will no longer be exempt from the levy, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.
But campaigners argue the fee on plastic bags does not go far enough, accusing the government of "tokenism" as they called for charges to be brought in on all single-use, throwaway items.
Following a public consultation last year, in which the “vast majority” of respondents welcomed the changes, the minimum charge for single use carrier bags will increase to 10p.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “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 and build back greener.
“I hope our pioneering track record on single-use plastics will inspire many more countries to follow suit, so we can take on plastic waste together and implement lasting change.”
The 5p levy on plastic bags was introduced in England in 2015, with the most recent figures showing that the number of single-use bags distributed by large supermarkets has fallen more than 95%.
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The average person in England now buys just four single-use bags a year, compared to around 140 in 2014.
While the move to extend the charge was welcomed by campaigners, Greenpeace said carriers bag were only “one part of the problem”.
Sam Chetan-Welsh, political campaigner at Greenpeace, said: “By raising the price of plastic bags again the Government is taking a small step in the right direction, but by now they should be taking great strides.
“Reinstating the previous price of carrier bags, but not taking action on bags for life, is only looking at one part of the problem.
“And it could be construed as tokenism when there are so many ways ministers know they could be driving fast and substantial reductions on plastic pollution.
“If they’re increasing costs for shoppers, ministers really have no excuse not to increase costs for the companies that are responsible for the escalating volumes of single-use plastic packaging in the first place.”
CPRE, the countryside charity, called for action to be taken on all single-use items, such as takeaway cups and forks.
Tom Fyans, deputy chief executive, said: “To truly step up and face the war on plastic, Government should bring in charges on all single-use, throwaway items – from takeaway cups to wooden forks.
“Incentivising reuse systems and finally committing to an all-in Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers are the only ways the Government can achieve a litter-free countryside and win the war on waste.”