Gove unpacks plan to double plastic bag fee

SHOPPERS WILL have to pay 10p for a carrier bag at all stores across the country, it has emerged today, under plans set out by Environment Secretary Michael Gove “to protect the planet”.

The current 5p charge will be doubled and soon apply at all shops, not just large retailers, under the measures aimed at curbing plastic consumption.

An estimated 3.6bn single-use bags are supplied annually by smaller shops which are exempt from the current 5p bag levy.

Trade bodies representing about 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 small and medium-sized enterprises.

The changes, which could come into effect in January 2020, were revealed in a consultation that has been launched by the Government.

It comes after Prime Minister Theresa May promised in August that there would be a consultation on changes to the levy by the end of the year, despite reported opposition from the Treasury and Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Mr Gove said: “The 5p singleuse 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 15bn 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.”

The 5p levy was introduced in England in 2015. Money raised

Money raised from the levy has so far been donated to worthy causes, rather than Government coffers.

James Lowman, the Association of Convenience Stores’ chief executive, 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, whilst 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 announcement by Mr Gove has been welcomed by conservationist groups in the ongoing drive to reduce the use of plastic and its impact on the environment.

Oceanographer Dr Laura Foster, who is the head of Clean Seas at the Marine Conservation Society (MCS), said she hoped that there would be growing support for the proposed move.

The MCS has been monitoring the impact of the 5p charge on plastic bags since it was introduced in October 2015 and the organisation regularly provides evidence for the Government’s consultations.

Dr Foster said: “We are able to measure the impact of legislation and we’ve seen that since the introduction of the plastic bag charge in the UK the amount we find on the beaches has gone down.

“That’s also been replicated by studies that have been done offshore – they’ve also seen a reduction in the amount of plastic bags they find.

“So we do know that legislation can directly impact on the amount we find on our beaches and in our oceans.”