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English Español ACS welcomes plastic bag charge in UK

The government’s decision to extend the plastic carrier bag charge to all retailers has been welcomed by the convenience retail industry.



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From April 2021, the charge will apply to all retailers and will double from 5p per bag to 10p per bag, reports conveniencestore.co.uk.

The new minimum charge of 10p will apply to plastic bags in all stores regardless of the size of the business. Currently the charge is set at 5p, and only applies in stores with more than 250 employees. Wales and Scotland both have universal charging schemes.

ACS has been calling for the charge to be universal in England since before its introduction in 2015, citing the success of existing universal schemes in Wales and Scotland.

“Charging for plastic bags is a simple and effective policy that helps to raise money for local and environmental good causes, as well as drastically reducing the impact of plastic waste generated from bags. A universal charge will ensure that there is no confusion about which stores do and don’t have to take part, and is a popular measure with retailers. We will work with DEFRA on ensuring that the extension of the charge in April is communicated to both retailers and consumers,” said ACS chief executive James Lowman.

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