We use around 7.6billion plastic carrier bags every year in the UK, and now they’re going to start costing at least 5p a piece.
As of the 5th October, shoppers in England will need to pay a minimum of 5p per bag they use when in major supermarkets or certain high street stores (Those with 250 or more employees). Simply put, there are too many bags. Over the years we have wastefully consumed plastic bags, been irresponsible with their disposal, and polluted our landfills.
This new bag charges levy aims to change that. It’s not a government scheme to squeeze a little more money out of consumers, but instead an incentive to encourage people to recycle and be more environmentally responsible with how they use plastic bags.
England is late to the plastic bag levy party with Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales already engaging in similar schemes. They are also far more wholesome than England’s ‘over 250 employee’ arrangement. Whilst a selection of UK shoppers may be disgruntled at the new pricings, it’s clear that we’re already behind the times with this rollout.
Only around 20% of local authorities are encouraging people to recycle their plastics, which will no doubt have played a big part in the enforcement of the 5p bag charge. Plastic bags do not decompose. They will sit on landfills for hundreds and hundreds of years. They can be recycled, but this relies of people sending them off to be recycled, along with other household plastics.
The scheme is estimated to generate millions over the years – £730million to be exact. It is also expected reduce carrier bag usage by 80% in supermarkets and by 50% on the high street.
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