Scotland to charge for carrier bags – leaving England the odd one out

Scottish shoppers will have to pay a minimum of 5p for a carrier bag from next year, the Scottish Government has said.

The move to charge for carrier bags follows a public consultation last year. Similar measures have already been introduced by Wales, in October 2011, and Northern Ireland, in April this year – leaving England as the only remaining home nation not to charge for shopping bags.

Scottish environment secretary Richard Lochhead said today Scotland used more carrier bags per head – some 750 million a year – than any other part of the UK.

“A small charge should encourage us all to stop and think about what we discard and what can be re-used”

Richard Lochhead

“Carrier bags are a highly visible aspect of litter and we are taking decisive action to decrease their number. By reducing the amount being carelessly discarded we can cut litter and its impact on our environment and economy. A small charge should also encourage us all to stop and think about what we discard and what can be re-used,” he said.

“This charge is not a tax but will see retailers donating the proceeds to charity - this could be up to £5m per year after retailers have covered their costs.”

The charge will take effect from October 2014 and will apply to single-use bags of any material. It affects all retailers, however smaller businesses will not be required to report how many bags they have sold or how much money has gone to charity, in order to reduce the administrative burden, the government said.

Some types of bags, such as those for prescriptions, will be exempt.

The Scottish Retail Consortium welcomed the move and said it would work with the Scottish Government to ensure legislation was consistent with the rest of the UK.

“The retail sector accepts and acts on its leadership role in reducing environmental impact and waste. Working with our customers we have succeeded in reducing carrier bag usage by over 40%,” said Scottish Retail Consortium director Fiona Moriarty.

“However, it is our view that if we focus solely on plastic bags, we are in danger of being distracted from much larger and more important issues around waste.”

ACS chief executive James Lowman approved of Scotland’s decision to follow the Welsh model on carrier bag charges: “The experience of carrier bag charging in Wales has been a positive one. The key to this success has been the limited amount of red tape imposed on retailers and the freedom for retailers to choose how to invest the income they receive in local charities.”

However, the ACS said it continued to object to Northern Ireland’s insistence that proceeds from bag charges would go to the government, rather than to charities.

A Defra spokeswoman said it was still looking at what was happening in other parts of the UK before a making a decision on introducing a charge in England.

“We are determined to tackle the blight caused by plastic bags and will look with interest at the Scottish Government’s proposals. We will also consider the results of the Welsh scheme so that we can make a fully informed decision in the future,” she said.