War on plastic waste: Bag charge doubled in UK

By Olivia Preston

Charges for plastic carrier bags are to double next month in the fight to save our oceans.

Overflowing litter bin with bags of rubbish and plastic. Credit: John Cameron on Unsplash

Shops in England are to double the 5p charge for single-use plastic carrier bags, extending the current rules. The change in the price is to help the UK get closer to achieving its25 Year Environment Plan, in the hope of improving the environment within a generation through connecting people with nature, cleaning up our oceans and managing land sustainably.

A public consultation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs proposing the change in 2019 was welcomed by 82% of people. The charge will also be extended to all shops, not just big retailers.

Blue and pink plastic bags dancing in a meadow. Credit: Masha Kotaliaren on Unsplash

This change comes as the UK government outlines plansfor a new, world-leading tax on plastic packaging. From April 2022 all packaging must be at least 30% recycled. Microbeads and plastic straws and stirrers will be banned from October.

The 5p charge slashed the use of carrier bags, and it was reflected by what washed up on the country’s shores Dr Laura Foster, Head of Clean Seas at the Marine Conservation Society said: “Since the introduction of the 5p carrier bag charge, we’ve seen a more than 60% drop in the number of plastic bags on the UK’s beaches.”