The 5p plastic bag charge will be extended to ALL retailers and increased to 10p to cut their use further, under plans put forward in an eight-week consultation launched by the Environment Secretary today.
Government scientists believe plastic in the sea is set to treble in a decade unless marine litter is curbed, with as many as one million birds and more than 100,000 sea mammals dying every year from eating and getting tangled in plastic waste.
Currently, the 5p charge applies only to big businesses, but it is estimated that more than 3.6 billion single-use plastic bags are supplied annually by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Trade bodies representing around 40,000 small retailers have already launched a voluntarily approach to a 5p charge, but this accounts for less than one-fifth of England’s estimated 253,000 SMEs.
The consultation launched on Thursday (December 27) will also explore the possibility of increasing the 5p minimum charge, potentially doubling it to 10p.
PRECIOUS
Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: “The 5p single use plastic carrier bag charge has been extremely successful in reducing the amount of plastic we use in our everyday lives. Between us, we have taken over 15 billion plastic bags out of circulation.
“But we want to do even more to protect our precious planet and today’s announcement will accelerate further behaviour change and build on the success of the existing charge.”
Association of Convenience Stores chief executive James Lowman said: “We welcome the Government’s plans to extend carrier bag charging to all shops.
This has been shown to be highly effective at reducing waste, while also raising money for local, national and environmental charities. Around half of small shops in England already charge for plastic bags voluntarily, with wider support for a mandatory charge.”
The move follows the success of the 5p charge introduced in 2015, which has seen single use plastic bag sales in major supermarkets drop by 86%. This is equivalent to 19 bags per person in England in 2017/18, compared with 140 bags each before the government introduced the charge.
CHARITY
Smaller stores are often at the heart of a local community providing a range of essential services to local people, and will be encouraged to donate proceeds to good causes, Defra says. Latest figures show that for 2017/18, 5p plastic bag sales contributed more than £51m toward charities and other good causes.
Last week’s announcement is the latest move in a government crackdown on plastic, with the UK continuing to be a global leader in protecting seas, oceans and marine life.
In the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor also announced a world-leading tax on plastic packaging that does not contain a minimum of 30% recycled content, subject to consultation, from April 2022.
