Britain banishes plastic bags as 5p 'tax' sees usage plummet by 6 billion
Britain has virtually banished plastic bags just six months after the Government introduced a 5p charge to discourage shoppers from using them, official data has revealed.
According to figures released today by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, shoppers are on track to use around six billion fewer single-use plastic bags this year.
Since the policy came into force in England in October 2015, the total number of carrier bags used at the UK's biggest retailers has fallen by an estimated 85 per cent.
There is always more we can all do to reduce waste and recycle what we use Environment Minister
Ministers have hailed the "fantastic" success of the policy which is set to vastly reduce the amount of plastic dumped in the ocean and raise millions for charity through the 5p charges.
Thérèse Coffey, the environment minister, said: “Taking six billion plastic bags out of circulation is fantastic news for all of us – it will mean our precious marine life is safer, our communities are cleaner and future generations won’t be saddled with mountains of plastic sat taking hundreds of years to breakdown in landfill sites.
“It shows small actions can make the biggest difference, but we must not be complacent as there is always more we can all do to reduce waste and recycle what we use.”
Should we do the same here ? It all helps save the environment.
Would you pay for a carrier bag ?
Good to know that Britain has been successful in implementing this law. We too have laws banning plastic bags but it hardly made any impact on ground. People continue to use it.
An attempt was made some years back in my country to ban plastic bags. It is indeed a major problem in my country with millions of users of these bags, many of them being uneducated people. The streets in every city in my country are littered all around with these bags. Then when the rains come, these bags choke the drainage system of the city leading to streets getting flooded.
The campaign to stop the use of these bags was a total flop. It led to clashes between the consumers and the authorities. There were two major reasons behind the failure of this ban. First is the cost of these bags. They come in very cheap. Shopkeepers never refuse to give you an extra piece free of cost should you ask for one. Secondly, they are very convenient to both the sellers and the buyers of items.
Having said that, I cannot see them ever getting banned in my country, and possibly also in the countries in my region. It is one of those things that progress in science and technology has given us which has become part and parcel of our life. The only alternative I see is to find a solution for their proper disposal in a cheap way. I do not know if they could be recycled but if that was possible, we should work towards achieving that goal.
Brity,
Thank you for the post. Let me try my best to avoid plastic bags.
I hope in Carrefour you have the option of having these environment friendly bags.
And Hurrah for GREAT Britain !!!!!
Banging you head against a brick wall there britexpat. There are so man unenlighted trolls about.............
omar: We are talking plastic bags here... You can see them on the beaches , against fences and around the streets.. They are hard to dispose of and harmful to the environment in the long run..
no thanks. I hope this doesn't happen here. Too many things are destroying the environment and saving paper bags does not change anything