MEMBER INFORMATION
PLASTIC BAG CHARGE EXTENDED TO ALL BUSINESSES AS GOVERNMENT STEPS UP FIGHT AGAINST SINGLE USE PLASTIC The plastic bag charge, an important part of the government’s 25
Year Environment Plan to clamp down on plastic pollution, now applies to ALL businesses, not just large businesses.
Previously small businesses were exempt but an amendment soon to be introduced has now included them and the charge has doubled from 5p to 10p.
As a result of the carrier bag charge, the average person in England now buys just four bags a year from the main supermarkets, compared with 140 in 2014. The levy has resulted in a 95% reduction in sales of plastic bags from supermarkets since 2015. By extending the charge to all retailers, ministers want to see bag usage cut significantly in small shops as well, with customers incentivised to use long-life bags made from more sustainable and environmentally-friendly materials.
The proceeds are not collected by the government and instead businesses are encouraged to donate the monies collected to good causes. The government asks larger retailers to keep records and report each year on what they do with the money. The government then publishes an annual summary of how many bags have been sold, and the quantity of plastic saved from contaminating the environment, as well as how much money has been donated to worthwhile causes.
Small businesses are exempt from the record -keeping and reporting requirement but if butchers wish to donate to local causes an easy and efficient way to keep track is add a carrier bag button to your till.
There is also an exemption for bags only containing unwrapped raw foods, including meat, in recognition of the food safety risk.
There is currently no exemption for biodegradable bags due to technical difficulties of measuring the actual biodegrade ability of different materials. Arrangements in Wales remain unchanged.
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