Shoppers face 5p charge for plastic carrier bags

Customers at all supermarkets and large shops must use their own bags or pay the charge as England becomes the last part of the UK to bring in bag charging.

Environmentalists have welcomed the move, which aims to prevent plastic bags ending up as litter or marine pollution where they can be harmful to wildlife.

Some have called for a more comprehensive scheme which includes all retailers and all types of bags.

8 things you need to know about new 5p carrier bag charge

Under the new scheme, the charge applies to retailers with 250 or more full-time equivalent employees, determined by the size of the company rather than the individual branch.

Smaller businesses can charge if they wish, and the Association of Convenience Stores says it is encouraging members to introduce their own voluntary charging schemes wherever practical.

Campaigners warn it may not be as successful as more comprehensive schemes introduced elsewhere in the UK such as Wales where retailers handed out 79 per cent fewer bags in the first three years.

The Government expects the scheme to reduce use of single-use carrier bags by up to 80 per cent in supermarkets, and 50 per cent on the high street.

It is also expected to save £60m in litter clean-up and generate £730m for good causes.

The initiative appears to have the support of the majority of shoppers in England, with 62 per cent thinking it is reasonable to charge 5p for all carrier bags - a 6 per cent increase on 2012, a poll for the Break the Bag Habit coalition of litter charities found.

But the survey found 51 per cent were in support of an even more comprehensive scheme that extended the charge to all retailers.

Friends of the Earth's senior resources campaigner David Powell said: "This charge will significantly reduce the billions of one-use plastic bags handed out in the UK each year - but it should apply to smaller shops too.

"More than half of people living in England and the Association of Convenience Stores are supportive of extending the scheme to all retailers.

"And in Wales, 90 per cent of businesses, both large and small, said that a 5p charge hasn't impacted on their trade."

Environment minister Rory Stewart said: "We're all guilty of taking a carrier bag from a supermarket, storing it somewhere safe at home with the intention of using it again, then forgetting to take it with us next time we go to the shops.

"But the more bags we take, the more plastic makes its way into our environment, blighting our high streets, spoiling our enjoyment of the countryside, and damaging our wildlife and marine environments.

"Simple changes to our shopping routines, such as taking our own bags with us or using more bags for life, can make a huge difference in reducing the amount of plastic in circulation meaning we can all enjoy a cleaner, healthier country."

In England, the number of single-use bags given out by major supermarkets reached more than 7.6 billion last year - the equivalent of 140 per person and 61,000 tonnes in total.