Government announces plans to extend the single-use plastic bag
charge to all retailers and increase the minimum charge to at
least 10p, subject to consultation.
The 5p plastic bag charge will be extended to all retailers and
not just big businesses, subject to consultation later this year,
to help fight the global scourge of plastic pollution, Prime
Minister has announced today (30
August).
It is estimated over 3.4 billion single-use plastic bags are
supplied annually by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Trade bodies representing 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 220,000 SMEs.
A consultation, to be launched later this year, will also explore
the possibility of increasing the 5p minimum charge to encourage
further behaviour change, potentially doubling it to at least
10p.
Welcoming today’s announcement Environment Secretary said:
“We are committed to being a global leader in tackling plastic
pollution. It blights our seas and land and chokes our wildlife.
“Thanks to the public’s support, our plastic bag charge has been
hugely successful. It has taken 13 billion plastic bags out of
circulation in the last two years alone.
“Today we are building on that success to ensure we leave our
environment in a better state than we inherited it.”
The move follows the success of the 5p charge introduced in 2015,
which has seen
plastic bag sales in major
supermarkets drop by 86%. This is equivalent to just 19 bags
in 2016/17 per person in England, compared with 140 bags each
before the government introduced the charge.
Plastic bags have a significant impact on the environment.
Government scientists believe plastic in the sea is set to treble
in a decade unless marine litter is curbed - with one million
birds and over 100,000 sea mammals dying every year from eating
and getting tangled in plastic waste.
Mike Mitchelson, National President of The Federation of
Independent Retailers (NFRN), said:
“We welcome the announcement that the 5p plastic bag levy is
likely to be extended to smaller shops. Independent retailers are
environmentally friendly and like to play their part in reducing
plastic waste so many of our members have already chosen to
implement the 5p charge. As a result, they have been delighted to
donate the proceeds from the charge to local and worthy good
causes.
“The 5p charge has made a huge difference to plastic bag usage
and all independent retailers can look forward to playing their
part in reducing further waste and raise money for local
charities.”
Today’s announcement comes during the Prime Minister’s visit to
Kenya, where she has announced a further six African Commonwealth
Countries (Seychelles, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Mozambique,
Namibia and the Gambia) have now joined the Commonwealth Clean
Oceans Alliance (CCOA), pledging their support to end the scourge
of plastics in our oceans.
The Alliance, announced in April during the Commonwealth Heads of
Government Meeting (CHOGM), sees countries across the
Commonwealth join forces in the fight against plastic, whether
through a ban on microbeads, a commitment to cutting down on
single-use plastic bags, or taking other steps to eliminate
avoidable single-use plastic.
The UK will provide up to an additional £5 million in funding to
assist CCOA countries seeking to take ambitious action – doubling
the amount announced at CHOGM.
Today’s announcement is the latest move in a government crackdown
on plastic, with the UK continuing to be a global leader in
protecting seas, oceans and marine life. The government has
recently announced a range of measures to eliminate all avoidable
plastic waste including a world-leading ban on
microbeads and
plans to
explore plastic free
aisles in supermarkets.
Earlier this year government announced its intention to ban the
sale of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds, plans for
a
deposit return
scheme to increase recycling rates of drinks bottles and
cans subject to consultation, and ran
a call for
evidence on using the tax system or charges to address
single-use plastic waste, which attracted
record-breaking public
support for reducing single-use plastics and boosting
recycling through the tax system. The Government is considering a
number of options, including taxes or charges on specific plastic
items which are commonly used on-the-go and littered.
Notes to editors:
