PLASTIC BAG TAX IN EVERY SHOP
... AND it’s set to rise to 10p in bid to slash pollution
THE plastic bag charge is to be extended to every shop.
Theresa May will announce the move next week – and consult on proposals to double the levy from 5p to 10p.
She will confirm the charge will affect all shops rather than just large retailers, lifting the exemption on small businesses with fewer than 250 staff. The plans are designed to further reduce Britain’s reliance on the plastic poisoning our environment.
The move marks another major step in the war on waste, following a pioneering Daily Mail campaign that led to the introduction of the 5p charge on carriers in 2015.
Since then, plastic bag use has fallen by an astonishing 86 per cent.
The levy has had remarkable success in breaking our addiction to plastic. The latest figures show the number of plastic bags issued every year by supermarkets has fallen from 7.5billion to just one billion since the tax was introduced.
In addition, the 5p charge has raised tens of millions for charity. Retailers are urged to pass the money on to good causes.
The extension of the scheme will allow yet more cash to be generated. At present only about 260 retailers are required to force
PLASTIC contamination of food, drink and even our homes may be fuelling obesity and associated health threats such as heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, researchers warn.
Experts at the University of California have found that some types of plastic contain chemicals that interfere with our hormones.
These endocrine- disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, affect critical biological functions which leave the body more likely to store fat than might be expected based on diet and exercise. Substances which do this are known as obesogens.
Previous research has established that humans are consuming tiny plastic particles through bottled and tap water, fish, shellfish and even the air we breathe. However, to date, there has been little research on the effects.
Now a team led by a professor of developmental and cell biology, Bruce Blumberg of University of California, has concluded that plastic may be a factor in rising levels of obesity across the world.
‘It’s not just food that is making us fat,’ said Professor Blumberg.
‘Experiments using animal models have shown that exposure to chemicals used in industry and found in plastics, preservatives, pesticides and flame retardants, just to name a few, may be important contributors to the growing number of metabolic disorders – including obesity.’
The professor said a study in his own laboratories found that dibutyltin, or DBT, a chemical used in the manufacture of polyvinyl chloride – better known as PVC – alters glucose metabolism and increases fat storage in mice.
He said PVC is widely used in homes and industry while DBT has been found in seafood and house dust, suggesting that exposure may be widespread.
‘We used cells in culture to show that DBT activated two proteins that promote fat cell precursors to become mature cells, leading to more fat cells and increased fat in each,’ he said.
‘In our study, cells exposed to concentrations of DBT that are in the realm of what humans are predicted to be exposed to showed increased fat storage, as well as increased activity of genes involved in fat tissue development.’
The researchers also fed DBT to pregnant mice in their drinking water.
The male offspring accumulated more fat when their diet was changed from a low-fat to a slightly higher fat diet compared with animals not exposed to DBT. The effect was not seen in females.
The professor said: ‘This indicates DBT exposure during development and early in life predisposed these animals to become obese.’
He said the findings suggest the debate on the use of plastics needs to go beyond concerns about environmental pollution.
The absence of evidence about the impact of consuming plastic on health led the World Health Organisation to announce an investigation earlier this year.
To date, concerns about plastic have focused on waste and environmental harm. The Daily Mail’s Turn the Tide on Plastic campaign has led businesses and Government to promise radical efforts to cut down on its use.
Chancellor Philip Hammond is expected to use his November Budget to introduce measures to reduce the use of single-use plastic products.
Campaigner, Luke DouglasHome, of Clear Public Space, who set up the #StirCrazy campaign to eliminate the use of plastic straws, said the US study is one of a number that have drawn a link between plastic and health.
He said research showed that phthalates, which have been used in food packaging, toys, and beauty products, and BPA, which has been used in baby bottles, can interfere with human hormones.
He said: ‘ The rise in plastic production and use correlates exactly with the rise in cancers and obesity.’