Plastic bags – the single use carrier bag charge

All parts of the UK now have a single-use carrier bag charge in operation. Originally, the charge was set at 5p. This has now been increased to 10p in England and Scotland, and to 25p in Northern Ireland. There are further differences in the scope and operation of the charge, as set out in this briefing.

In England, Wales and Scotland, retailers are free to use the proceeds of the charge as they wish (although they are strongly encouraged to donate them to “good causes”). In Northern Ireland, regulations require that the proceeds go to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

The rationale for the charge

The charges were introduced because of concerns about the numbers of single use plastic bags given away for free by retailers and which were then commonly discarded. It was estimated that in 2013 supermarkets gave out over 8 billion single use carrier bags across the UK; nearly 130 bags per person.

The production and disposal of plastic bags can also have a negative impact on the environment, through the oil used in their creation and the tonnes of plastic which go into landfill. Plastic bags can be particularly damaging for marine environments. It can be ingested by fish, birds and other marine wildlife, and it can entangle marine mammals.

Effectiveness of the charge

The Welsh Government estimated that single use carrier bag use between 2011 and 2014 declined by 70%; Zero Waste Scotland estimated that the 7 major grocery retailers in Scotland used about 650 million fewer single use carrier bags in the first year of the charge in Scotland; and Northern Ireland reported a 71.8% reduction in plastic bag use in its first year. UK Government data indicates that for England,  the 7 main retailers issued around 83% fewer bags (over 6 billion bags fewer) in 2016 to 2017, the first full year of operation of the charge, compared to the calendar year 2014. By 2023-24, the reduction compared to 2014 was 98%.

Plastic waste

For further information about other types of plastic items and government policies to reduce plastic waste, see Library briefing, Plastic Waste.