Carrier bag levy comes into effect in Scotland

The measure, which has been championed by the resource body Zero Waste Scotland, is aimed at reducing the number of single-use bags that are handed out in Scottish shops each year.

It is estimated that retailers hand out around 750 million bags to shoppers in Scotland each year – more per-head than in any other part of the UK.

Supporters of the levy claim that, while it may not have the greatest effect on reducing waste or increasing recycling, it is a simple way to encourage behaviour change amongst consumers.

Zero Waste Scotland has been promoting the launch of the bag charge throughout September and October.

Change

In a blog post on the organisation’s website last week, Zero Waste Scotland director Iain Gulland, wrote: “Single-usage, especially on this scale, is a one-way ticket to nowhere, and it’s the basis on which too much of our economic model is constructed.

“Carrier bags are totemic because they perform an essential function; everyone uses them; they are an intrinsic part and symbol of a disposable culture which can and must change as we look to conserve our planet’s resources for future generations.”

He added: “If shoppers start shunning single-use bags in favour of reusable options and it gets people asking ‘why stop there?’ that will be a paradigm shift indeed.”

‘Throwaway culture’

And, commenting this morning, Scotland’s minister for the environment, Richard Lochhead, said: “I’m extremely proud that this landmark legislation is now in force. Our carrier bag addiction is symptomatic of our throwaway culture and has serious implications for the environment. Huge numbers of these bags end up as litter, blighting our communities and clogging up our seas and natural habitats, affecting many sorts of wildlife and marine species in particular.

“We want that to change and for people to stop and think about whether they really need to take another bag. Alternatives like bags for life are easy to get and are much more sustainable.”

Figures published by the Northern Irish Executive in August covering the first 12 months since it introduced a carrier bag levy suggest that bag-use may have fallen by around 70% (see letsrecycle.com story).

England is to follow its UK neighbours in introducing a charge on single-use plastic bags from Autumn 2015. However, the proposals include a number of exemptions, including for small and medium sized businesses, which opponents claim will make the measure ineffective.

The government has also proposed to include an exemption for biodegradable plastic bags, although this has been postponed during the first phase of the charge as it is not yet clear how this will work in practice.

Opponents of the exemption for biodegradable bags, primarily from the plastic film reprocessing sector, say that it is not possible to recycle degradable bags alongside standard plastic carriers due to the difference in the structure of the material, while promoting their use could undermine the recycling of plastic films.