Plastic bag use falls by greater than 98% after cost introduction

Greater than 7 billion dangerous plastic luggage have been prevented from blighting our streets and countryside because of the single-use service bag cost, new figures introduced by Setting Minister Rebecca Pow at present (31 July) present.

A 5p cost was first launched in supermarkets in 2015. Since then, utilization on the important retailers – Asda, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, The Co-operative Group, Tesco and Waitrose – has dropped by greater than 98%.

The typical particular person in England now buys simply two single-use service luggage a yr from these companies, in contrast with round 140 in 2014 earlier than the cost was launched.

The variety of single-use service luggage reported as offered by the primary retailers was 133 million in 2022/23, down from 197 million in 2021/2022, representing a discount of 33%. This can be a enormous drop from the 7.6 billion utilized in 2014.

In 2021, the cost was elevated to 10p and prolonged to all companies. This has helped deliver the variety of luggage used down by greater than 35% from 627 million in 2019/20 to 406 million in 2022/23.

In the meantime, retailers have voluntarily donated greater than £206 million from the proceeds to good causes in training, arts, heritage, sports activities, setting, well being and charity or volunteering sectors because the cost’s introduction.

Setting Minister Rebecca Pow stated:

Our cost has helped to cease billions of single-use service luggage littering our neighbourhoods or heading to landfill whereas making certain thousands and thousands of kilos go to good causes. We’re decided to do extra to sort out plastic air pollution at supply, with additional bans on single-use merchandise beginning in October and our deposit return scheme will reduce litter and drive up recycling charges. We proceed to encourage all related retailers to play their half in additional lowering using single-use service luggage.

Andrew Opie, Director of Meals & Sustainability on the British Retail Consortium, stated:

Retailers have labored intently with the federal government over the single-use bag fees to make sure it has been an industry-wide success – with 98% fewer luggage used throughout the largest grocery retailers. It has additionally generated thousands and thousands in funds that retailers have donated to quite a lot of good causes.

The success of the service bag cost builds on the federal government’s motion to show the tide on plastic waste. In 2018 the federal government introduced one of many world’s hardest bans on microbeads in rinse-off private care merchandise and in 2020 we launched restrictions on the provision of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers and cotton buds.

The federal government additionally launched a tax of greater than £200 per tonne on plastic packaging manufactured in or imported into the UK that doesn’t comprise a minimum of 30% recycled plastic in April 2022.

By way of the Setting Act, the federal government is bringing in additional measures to sort out plastic air pollution and litter. This consists of introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and plans for less complicated recycling collections for each family and enterprise in England.

A variety of polluting single-use plastics will probably be banned in England from 1 October 2023. The restrictions will embody single-use plastic plates, trays, bowls, cutlery, balloon sticks and sure forms of polystyrene cups and meals containers.