In order to tackle what is being nicknamed as “throwaway culture” nearly all retailers, small or large could be made to charge 5p for plastic bags under proposed government plans.
All retailers in Wales and Scotland were already made to charge 5p for plastic bags when the rule first came into formation in 2015, however, in England, it was only retailers that employed more than 250 workers.
The implementation was seen to be effective in England as usage of plastic bags drops 80% and with some retailers donating the money made from the bags to charitable causes.
The scheme was so effective that Tesco started selling bags for life, and got rid of standard plastic bags. The bags for life were designed with the idea that they would last much longer than regular plastic bags, and all would be made from mostly recycled plastic, with a larger cost of 10p instead of 5p.
The original change came into play when it was discovered that The number of single-use plastic bags that had been handed out by the UK supermarkets increased for the fifth year, which meant the total number of bags estimated in circulation was up to 8.5 billion.
This idea has not been the only one put forward as the new rule would be a set of other measures that will help reduce plastic pollution in the world’s oceans.
The rule comes from the Prime minister’s idea that we can be “the first generation to leave the natural environment in a better state than we inherited it in”
Plastic bags at airport shops or onboard trains, planes or ships are currently not included in the scheme meaning some could continue to be put into circulation from these sources, and neither are paper bags.
Other countries have already implemented such charges on all bags, and have even gone to ban them all, these countries include:
- Denmark – introduced a tax to retailers in 2003
- Ireland – €0.22 tax introduced in 2007
- Italy – all plastic bags banned that aren’t from biodegradable sources
- Germany – all stores in Germany must pay recycling tax
- Mexico – retailers fined for giving out bags since 2010
- Brazil – banned since 2007
- China – full ban since 2008
- France – charge from 2p-42p, in Paris, there is a full ban since 2007
What are your thoughts on the plastic bag charge? Fretfoil packaging specialists can offer the solution to all of your packaging needs! You can find out more about us and feel free to contact us if you have any questions/queries.