YOUR PLASTIC BAG VICTORY
After Mail campaign, figures show plastic bag use is down by 85 per cent — that’s SIX BILLION FEWER than last year
SHOPPERS will take home six billion fewer plastic bags this year thanks to the introduction of the 5p charge.
The first official Government figures show the charge has cut use of the environmentally-damaging bags by around 85 per cent.
It represents a huge vindication for the Daily Mail’s eight-year Banish the Bags campaign, which led to the 5p charge being brought in.
More than seven billion single-use plastic bags were handed out by the main retailers in 2014.
But in the six months that followed the introduction of the charge in England in October, that figure dropped to just half a billion. That means six billion fewer bags will be taken home by shoppers over the course of the first year.
Ministers said this was the equivalent to the weight of roughly 300 blue whales, 300,000 sea turtles or three million pelicans. The 5p charge has also resulted in donations of more than £29million from retailers towards good causes, including charities and community groups.
Environment minister Therese Coffey said: ‘Taking six billion plastic bags out of circulation is fantastic news for all of us – it will mean our precious marine life is safer, our communities are cleaner and future generations won’t be saddled with mountains of plastic sat taking hundreds of years to breakdown in landfill sites.
‘The 5p charge has clearly been a huge success – not only for our environment but for good causes across the country that have benefitted from an impressive £29million raised. It shows small actions
can make the biggest difference, but we must not be complacent as there is always more we can all do to reduce waste and recycle what we use.’
the Mail launched its Banish the Bags campaign in an effort to reduce the waste, cost and environmental damage associated with the billions of plastic bags given away each year, a symbol of our throwaway society.
Before the levy was introduced in october last year, it was estimated that around eight million tonnes of plastic was making its way into oceans each year – posing a serious threat to our natural and marine environment.
experts estimate that plastic is ingested by 31 species of marine mammals and over 100 species of sea birds.
environmental campaigners say the carriers, each used for just 20 minutes on average, take up to 1,000 years to degrade.
As well as causing serious harm to marine animals and birds, which suffer long, painful deaths after eating them or getting tangled in them, they blight Britain’s coastline – with 70 bags littering every mile.
the Mail’s campaign, which began in 2008, swiftly received cross party political support and was backed by a string of large retailers – though some of the major supermarkets tried to fight it tooth and nail.
the country’s biggest retailer, tesco, opposed mandatory charges – insisting it could deliver reductions in the number of bags given away at tills through voluntary means.
Initially, ministers gave big stores the chance to clean up their act without the need for a new law.
But, as the number of bags being handed out continued to rise, ministers lost patience in 2013 – and finally agreed to bring in new legislation.
there was also masses of evidence from Northern Ireland and Wales, which had already introduced charges of their own, that use of the bags would fall dramatically.
the levy was introduced across england in october 2015. Businesses employing fewer than 250 staff – such as corner shops – were exempt.
Defra said the massive reduction had been achieved across the country’s seven major retailers – Asda, Marks and Spencer’s, Sainsbury, tesco, the Co-operative group, Waitrose and WM Morrison.
In england they handed out 7.64billion bags in 2014. In the six-month period from october 2015 to 6 April 2016, only 600,000 were handed out – pointing to an annual total of around 1.2billion, or 85 per cent.
Charities and conservation experts praised the massive impact of the campaign, which outstripped expectations. Whitehall hoped to achieve a cut of up to 80 per cent.
Dr Sue Kinsey, technical specialist at the Marine Conservation Society, said: ‘We are delighted to see that the bag charge in england is showing positive results.
‘this is a significant reduction that will benefit the environment as a whole, and our sea life in particular.
‘there is always more that we can do and we encourage everyone to join in on our Great British Beach Clean this September to help keep our coastlines clean.’
the 7.6billion bags given out in 2014 was an average 140 bags per person, the equivalent of about 61,000 tonnes in total.
Despite research showing that the average household already has 40 plastic bags around the home, the number of plastic bags taken from supermarkets increased for the fifth year running in 2014.
Six billion single-use plastic bags weigh 40,801 tonnes, according to waste experts. that is the equivalent of 302 blue whales (weighing 135 tonnes each), 313,853 sea turtles (weighing 0.13 tonnes each) and 3.13million pelicans ( weighing 0.013 tonnes each).
At least £29.2million has been donated to a variety of good causes covering the arts, charity or voluntary organisations, education, environment, health, heritage and sports.
IN a resounding triumph for the Mail’s Banish the Bags campaign, the first official figures since the introduction of 5p-a-bag charges show a phenomenal 85 per cent drop in the numbers handed out by supermarkets and large stores. That means some six billion fewer single- use plastic bags to scar the landscape, pollute streets and rivers and kill wildlife and fish in the seas.
This paper knows better than to expect credit from environmentalists on the Left, who talk big about their green credentials while achieving nothing.
But we take quiet pride in our campaign’s success. At minimal inconvenience to shoppers, this practical, instantly effective measure is already making Britain a greener and more pleasant land for our children and grandchildren.