03 Oct 2011

David Cameron warns supermarkets about plastic bag distribution

Prime Minister David Cameron has warned Britain’s largest supermarket chains to regulate and drastically reduce the number of single-use plastic bags handed out to customers.

The number of single-use plastic bags distributed in Britain increased by 333million, a rise of 5 per cent on the previous year. Supermarkets are advised to introduce a surcharge to their bags, this, in theory will encourage customers to reuse bags or use sustainable alternatives. Any revenue collected from these charges would be donated to charities and other good causes.

Some companies have already introduced the charge. Mr Cameron said “Companies like M&S have considerably reduced the use of bags by charging and then donating the money raised to charity - £4 million has already gone to good causes since they started charging in 2008 and they are doing more to clean up beaches over the next few years.” Lord Henley, Minister for Recycling, pointed out that a bag ban implemented in Rwanda has led to it being named as the cleanest country in Africa, despite its status as one of the poorest places on earth.

In 2002, the Republic of Ireland introduced a charge of 16p per bag for single-use carrier bags(it is currently 22c). This tax has been hailed a success as the number of bags distributed has decreased by 90 per cent, however government reports and representatives of the packaging industry have questioned the logic behind the tax, presenting evidence that indicates usage of other forms of packaging has increased.

---

1 October 2011 BBC

Carrier bag charge for shoppers in Wales introduced

A charge on single-use carrier bags has come into force in Wales in a bid to cut back on their "excessive" use.

Customers are now paying a minimum of 5p per bag in Wales, the first UK nation to introduce a levy.

Businesses face fines of up £5,000 if they do not comply although a light touch on enforcement has been promised in the first three months.

Most people back the charge according to the Welsh Government, but business groups said some traders are confused.

Research by Cardiff University suggests shoppers are not clear on the reasons behind the charge.

The university's Centre for Business Relationships said it interviewed 600 shoppers and while 70% supported the levy, a significant number believed it was introduced solely to raise revenue for the government.

Report author Lori Frater said: "There is a level of confusion among the general public but what we found most was that the confusion relates to the differences in the Welsh charges to that which is applied in other countries like the Republic of Ireland.

"That's because a lot of people said to us it's plastic bags - they didn't actually identify that it's also extended to paper bags, and Wales is quite unique in that it's extending it to paper bags as well.

"But also many people turned round and said to us it was making money for the government. They weren't aware that no funds were going to the government and actually the money should be disseminated to charities and environmental causes."

She added that she did not think the 5p minimum charge was high enough and may have to be increased.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said some retailers were still unaware of the new regulations, despite the Welsh Government sending out information packs.

It also said there was confusion about exemptions to the levy and how the fee would be enforced.

I would rather see a complete ban but, in the absence of that, I think it's a good thing”

Neil Evans Man who suggested bag ban

However, the British Retail Consortium said it expected all the big firms to comply with the charge from Saturday morning.

Gareth Clubb, director of Friends of the Earth Cymru, said there had been a campaign to tackle the problem of single-use bags which had been supported by environmentalists, businesses, shoppers and schools all over Wales.

"We're delighted that this is coming in. Local groups of Friends of the Earth Cymru have been campaigning for many years for a plastic bag charge of some sort so we're very happy to see it come in," he said.

"The idea that people might see it as a plastic bag tax is possibly a concern but over the weeks and months, one of the things that retailers will have to do is to display where the money is going to so that will help dispel a lot of fears that people might have."

Businesses with over 10 staff will be obliged to keep a record of the number of bags issued and account for how the proceeds from the charge are used.

The Welsh Government hopes it will reduce the number of bags issued by shops, saying their use is "excessive".

It estimates shoppers in Wales took home an estimated 350m carrier bags from the major supermarkets in 2009 - 273 bags for each household.

In 2007 BBC Wales asked for suggestions on laws which could be created by the Welsh assembly.

Neil Evans, who suggested a ban on carrier bags, welcomed the charge.

"I would rather see a complete ban but, in the absence of that, I think it's a good thing.

"There's been a lot of misrepresentation and misunderstanding by some people but I think it's going to be a great success."

Mr Evans said he was sure within a month most people would would reuse bags when they go shopping.

ーーーーーーーーーーー

Aug 16th 2011　

Wales Begins Preparations for 5p Carrier Bag Tax

The Welsh Government has started preparations for the introduction of its 5p tax on the distribution of single-use carrier bags which comes into effect on 1st October. In order to educate the public posters have been placed at train stations and inside buses across Wales.

new law which came into effect on Saturday(2011/10/1) and imposes a 5p charge on single-use carrier bags.

Wales’ Environment and Sustainable Development Minister, John Griffiths said the tax was a very important environmental issue for the country. Despite a reduction of 7% in the distribution of single-use plastic carrier bags over the last year, 329 million bags were given out to customers in Wales’ supermarkets alone. It is hoped the tax will dramatically reduce these numbers, and consumers will be encouraged to reuse bags. All revenue created by the tax will go to environmental projects and other good causes.

The Republic of Ireland introduced a tax on single-use bags in 2002, and the government rejoiced in the news that since then the use of plastic bags has declined by over 90%. However there are some resulting factors from the tax that have not been reported to the general public. Many consumers reuse plastic bags, for example as domestic waste bags, and with their reduction in distribution consumers have to find an alternative for such tasks. As a result of this major high street supermarkets have reported an up to 77% increase in sales of pedal bin liners, a 25% increase nappy bagおむつバッグ sales, and a sharp rise in sales of thick black plastic refuse sacks.

As a result of these changes there has been no decrease in the amount of plastic on landfill sites, no decrease in the amount of plastic used in packaging, and in many cases a rise in packaging costs for retailers as costly alternatives such as paper bags have to be used. Another problem is the theft of shopping trolleys and baskets, some consumers refusing to pay the tax will resort to theft of these items and retailers reported annual costs of €24.3million in stolen baskets, and €10million in lost trolleys.

A lot of research has been dedicated to finding a solution to the plastic bag problem, most recently the Environment Agency released a report called “Life Cycle Assessment of Carrier Bags” which reported that plastic was overall a lot less harmful to the environment than cotton and paper for example. Despite numerous warnings of the effect of a ban or tax on plastic bags, many governments are either insisting on changes or are seriously considering introducing such legislation.

Many people in the packaging and plastics industries are calling for a comprehensive reasoned debate on the subject of the volume of plastics packaging used by retailers, and what is the most effective way of changing consumer habits. The main point is to make the public aware of the facts and to reduce the bureaucracy surrounding the subject, plastic bags are an easy target as they are so visible in the marketplace and it seems politicians are now using them as cannon fodder. For more facts and useful packaging information please go to the Carrier Bag Consortium’s website.