Given the damage that single-use bags inflict on the environment, the Government is committed to taking strong action.
Alistair Darling
During his speech to Parliament this afternoon, the Chancellor said that retailers will have a year to voluntarily reduce the amount of plastic bags they give away otherwise they will be forced by law to charge for them.
He said: “The government has already called on retailers to take voluntary action to encourage the shift away from single-use carrier bags. Given the damage that single-use bags inflict on the environment, the government is committed to taking strong action.
“Budget 2008 announces that the Climate Change Bill will legislate so that, if there is not sufficient progress on a voluntary basis by the end of the year, the Government can exercise powers early next year to impose a charge on these bags,” the Chancellor told MPs.
Reduction
The Chancellor suggested the requirements on retailers would lead to a 90% reduction in the use of single-use shopping bags, a decrease of 12 billion bags.
The Climate Change Bill is currently due for a third reading in the House of Lords on the 31 March after which it will pass through the House of Commons.
Mr Darling said that the Government will consult in the meantime on the operation of the charge and how to ensure that any money raised goes to environmental charities. The Government will also ensure that donations made by retailers to charitable causes out of any money raised will attract tax relief in the normal way.
The announcement comes as the culmination of an ongoing debate on plastic bags propelled in part by the Daily Mail's recent “Banish the Bags” campaign.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme – which is leading the current voluntary action for the grocery chain on plastic bags as part of the Courtauld Commitment – said earlier this week that it now supports a levy on carrier bags (see letsrecycle.com story). Its chief executive, Dr Liz Goodwin has been quoted in the past by the carried bag industry suggesting a levy was not needed.
Marks & Spencer gained a head-start on some of its rivals last month, when it announced that it will be charging 5p per bag from May 6 (see letsrecycle.com story).
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