By Single-use carrier bag charge to rise from 5p to 10p in all England shops
From 21 May, the charge of a single-use carrier bag will double to 10p, and will apply to all businesses in England.
The government has said that all stores will have to apply the charge from that date.
Since 2015 when the 5p charge on plastic bags was introduced in England, their use has fallen by more than 95 percent.
According to data published on the BBC website, the average person in England purchases just four single-use carrier bags every year from the main supermarkets.
This is a huge difference compared to 140 per year in 2014.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said: “The introduction of the 5p charge has been a phenomenal success.
“We know we must go further to protect our natural environment and oceans, which is why we are now extending this charge to all businesses.
“Over the next couple of weeks I urge all retailers of all sizes to make sure they are ready for the changes, as we work together to build back greener and strengthen our world-leading action to combat the scourge of plastic waste.”
By extending the charge to all retailers, the government hopes the use of single-use carrier bags will fall by 70 to 80 percent in small and medium-sized businesses.
The chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, James Lowman, said: “We strongly welcome the inclusion of local shops and other small businesses into the successful plastic bag charging scheme, which not only helps the environment, but is also a great way for retailers to raise money for local and national charities.”
John Lewis has confirmed that it will be trialling the removal of single-use bags from its Cheltenham, Kingston and Leeds stores from 21 May.
Customers will be asked to bring their own bags or buy a reusable bag made from 100 percent recyclable material, costing 50p for a medium size and 75p for a large size.
Marija Rompani, director of ethics and sustainability for the John Lewis Partnership, said: “It has become the norm to take our own bags when we go food shopping but we have a different mindset when shopping for clothes, beauty and home products.
“We expect our customers will be supportive of this change and will be listening to their feedback.”
Last month, the Co-op said it will stop selling plastic bags for life, because “many people only used the 10p bags once before throwing them away.”
This move would take 29.5 million bags for life – or 870 tonnes of plastic – out of circulation each year.
In addition, Morrisons said early last month that it would switch from plastic bags for life to a paper alternative, while Tesco raised the price of its bags for life to 20p in September last year, and avoids offering single-use bags altogether.
Paula Chin, sustainable materials specialist at the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) said: “Plastic pollution is one of the most visible symptoms of the environmental crisis, damaging natural habitats and putting precious wildlife at risk.”
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