Charge for shop plastic bags could be doubled

THE plastic bag charge could be doubled, the Prime Minister will announce next week.

Theresa May plans to consult on proposals to double the levy from the current 5p to 10p.

If the increase in the bag charge is approved in England, it is expected that the Scottish Government will also increase the fee.

Plans likely to be unveiled next week are designed to further reduce Britain’s reliance on plastic which is poisoning our seas.

The plastic bag charge in supermarkets has massively reduced the number of bags in circulation. Mrs May will also confirm that the charge will be extended to all shops in England – not only large retailers as at present.

In Scotland, every retailer is already required to charge at least 5p for a plastic bag. But the Prime Minister is expected to lift the exemption on shops in England with fewer than 250 employees.

The extension of the scheme will allow yet more money to be raised.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Scotland already leads the way with a wide range of measures to tackle plastic waste.

‘This includes being the first country in the UK to commit to a bottle deposit return scheme, banning the sale of plastic-stemmed cotton buds, and working towards a complete ban on single-use non-recyclable plastics in Scotland from 2030.’

Earlier this year the Prime Minister said she would consult on getting rid of the exemption on small shops in England in the hope of ending Britain’s ‘profligate’ waste of resources and ‘throwaway culture’.

She said she wanted to ‘send a strong message to the public about the Government’s commitment to be the first generation to leave the natural environment in a better state than we inherited’.

The Association of Convenience Stores has 33,500 members. More than a third have already adopted the tax voluntarily.

A 5p charge on plastic bags sold by major retailers was introduced by the Government in 2015 following a pioneering Daily Mail campaign.

Since then, Britain’s usage of plastic bags has fallen by 86 per cent – down from 140 to 25 bags for the average person each year.

The plastic bag levy was made law north of the Border in 2014.

Last year, conservationists said Scotland’s 5p levy on single-use carrier bags helped reduce the number of plastic bags found on beaches.

The tax was a legacy of the Daily Mail’s trailblazing Banish the Bags campaign, which was launched a decade ago.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: ‘The Daily Mail’s tireless campaigning on plastic bags was crucial to the success of our charge in driving down plastic use.’

The Mail successfully fought for plastic microbeads to be banned from cosmetics and last year launched its Turn The Tide On Plastic campaign.