When was the Plastic bag charge introduced and has it helped the environment?
The price of plastic carrier bags is set to double - here's the latest
THE number of plastic bags sold by the UK's seven biggest supermarket chains has halved in the last year, according to government figures.
Since 2015, when a 5p charge was initially levied, the number being used is down by 90 per cent.
When was the 5p plastic bag charge introduced?
The five pence fee on plastic carrier bags came into force in England on October 5 2015.
The Government introduced a law requiring all supermarkets and large stores to charge a minimum of 5p for every carrier they handed out.
It was an environment-friendly bid to reduce the use of plastic bags and the litter they cause.
In 2014, the number of single-use plastic bags handed out by supermarkets in England rose for the fifth year running to 7.6billion - the equivalent of 140 bags per person.
The latest figures from Defra show that seven biggest supermarkets sold 549million single-use plastic bags in 2018-19, down from one billion the previous year.
Will the price increase to 10p?
Yes, the plastic bag charge is set to double in price to 10p.
The government launched a consultation on the issue in December 2018.
Currently, shops that employ more than 250 people are required to charge at least 5p for a bag.
But under the new measures, the 10p fee will apply to all retailers.
Shops are expected to donate the money to charitable causes with the amount raised estimated to have reached £169m since 2015.
In 2014, before the levy, consumers were using more than 7.6bn bags a year, equalling 61,000 tonnes of plastic.
Has the scheme helped the environment?
Figures released in 2018 showed an 86 per cent drop in plastic bag use at the UK’s seven major supermarkets since the scheme was introduced.
There were more than 7.6 billion single-use bags used in 2014 but last year that had fallen to just 1.7 billion.
Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers said: “Our comprehensive action to slash plastic waste and leave our environment in a better state continues to deliver results, with our 5p charge reducing plastic bag sales by 90 per cent in the big supermarkets.
“No one wants to see the devastating impact plastic waste is having on our precious wildlife. "Today’s figures are a powerful demonstration that we are collectively calling time on being a throwaway society.”
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Plastic bags can take hundreds of years to break down, but plastic drinks bottles and disposable coffee cups are now being seen as a huge challenge in protecting the environment.
Six billion bags laid end-to-end it would stretch about 3m km, or 75 times around the world.
The same number of bags are also approximately equivalent to the weight of 300 blue whales, 300,000 sea turtles or 3million pelicans.
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