Carrier bag sales in the biggest seven English supermarkets have fallen since the introduction of the 5p charge in 2015.
Carrier Bags
The Prime Minister has announced plans for a Government consultation that will look at extending England’s single-use plastic bag charge to all retailers, regardless of size, and increasing the minimum charge to at least 10p.
Theresa May confirmed on August 30 that the consultation, to be launched later this year, is part of its ongoing plans to reduce the impact of plastic litter on the environment.
She said the changes will build on the success of the current charge, which has seen plastic bag sales in England’s ‘big seven’ supermarkets drop by 86 per cent and 13 billion plastic bags taken out of circulation in the last two years.
Should plans go ahead, the levy will apply to all retailers. Currently SMEs with less than 250 employees are exempt from having to apply the charge.
Mike Mitchelson, National President of The Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN), said the association welcomed the announcement that the 5p plastic bag levy is likely to be extended to smaller shops.
“Independent retailers are environmentally friendly and like to play their part in reducing plastic waste so many of our members have already chosen to implement the 5p charge. As a result, they have been delighted to donate the proceeds from the charge to local and worthy good causes,” he said.
Further collaboration
During her visit, the Prime Minister also announced over £61 million in UK Aid to boost global research, and help countries stop plastic waste from entering the oceans, at this year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM).
The UK will now provide £250,000 to support the design and delivery of a Sustainable Blue Economy Conference, to be hosted by Kenya in Nairobi in November.
The conference will allow the UK to bring its expertise to the first ever major oceans conference to be hosted on the African mainland to help control pollution and support green jobs.
In addition, it was announced that a further six African Commonwealth countries (Seychelles, Mauritius, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Namibia and the Gambia) have now joined the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance (CCOA), pledging their support and cooperation to end plastics getting into oceans.
The UK says it will provide up to an additional £5million in funding to assist CCOA countries seeking to take ambitious action – doubling the amount announced at CHOGM.
The Prime Minister said marine litter is “a global problem”, and cleaning up the seas and oceans requires “a global effort”.
Changing behaviour
Finally, she used her visit to Kenya to launch a ‘Plastic Challenge Badge’ for Girl Guides and Scouts to incite behaviour change.
Working in partnership with UN Environment, and backed by an initial investment of almost £40,000 from the UK Government, the new badge will first target schools and youth groups in Kenya, then two further countries, helping an estimated 50,000 young people to better understand the importance of reducing plastic consumption and kick-start behaviour change.
The ambition is to then reach the 50 million global membership of the Girl Guiding and Scouts Associations.
Erik Solheim, Head of UN Environment, said the UK government’s decision to create and launch a plastic pollution badge with the Guides and Scouts is “an inspiring step in the right direction” adding that “the global partnership allows us to not just fight plastic pollution on the beaches, but to invest in the young minds that will preserve the planet for future generations to come.”
To harness the enthusiasm of its 400,000 members, the government will also work in partnership with the UK Scout Association to create a new Plastics and the Marine Environment Activity Pack to support Scouts in reducing plastic waste through their existing environmental challenge badges.
The UK will also establish an exchange programme that will enable Scouts from the UK and Kenya to learn from one another how important the issue of plastics is in different parts of the world.