From April 2021, the charge for a single-use carrier bag will be increased to 10 pence (13 cents), doubling the current rate, and it will be mandatory for all retailers, the UK government announced on Tuesday.
Laura Foster, head of Clean Seas at the Marine Conservation Society, said the news is encouraging.
“It’s so important we reduce our reliance on single use items and we move to a culture of reuse. This increased charge, and extending to all retailers, will help remind people of everyday, simple changes they can make to help the marine environment.”
“The average person in England now buys just four bags a year from the main supermarket retailers, compared with 10 last year and 140 in 2014,” the government said.
Last year, the major supermarkets in the UK sold a combined total of 226 million plastic bags, 59 percent (322 million) fewer than the previous year.
By the end of 2018, when the consultation proposal was published, the retail turnover of small businesses was estimated to occupy 33 percent of the entire retail sector, and the number of bags they supplied was estimated to be up to 3.6 billion.
Businesses are encouraged to donate the proceedings from single-use carrier bag sales to charitable causes. According to a government statement, 178 million pounds ($239 million) has been donated since 2015.