Plastic bags cut by six billion after 5p charge
SHOPPERS IN England are set to take home six billion fewer single-use plastic bags this year as a result of the 5p charge, early figures suggest.
More than seven billion of the bags were handed out by seven main retailers in 2014, but this figure dropped to just over half a billion in the first six months after the 5p charge was introduced in October last year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.
The charge has also resulted in donations of more than £29m 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 break down 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 benefited from an impressive £29m 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.”
Dr Sue Kinsey, of 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.”
Tesco UK and Ireland chief executive Matt Davies said: “The Government’s bag charge has helped our customers (in England) reduce the number of bags they use by 30 million each week, which is great news for the environment.”
England was the last part of the UK to introduce the charge.