Convenience Stores in England Back Charge for Plastic Bags

Currently, only companies with more than 250 workers must add a fee for plastic bags in 2015, but small, local retailers want to be included.

December 18, 2013

LONDON – The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) said its members don’t want to be left out when large English retailers begin charging for plastic bags in 2015, the BBC News reports. Wales already adds a fee on plastic bags, with England due to follow in about 18 months but only for companies employing 250 or more workers.

The U.K. Environmental Audit Committee announced that the fee on single use plastic bags would start in England in the fall of 2015 but retailers with less than 250 workers would not have to comply. ACS wants that changed.

“Retailers in Wales are already seeing the benefit of the carrier bag levy that has been in place there since 2011,” said Shane Brennan, public affairs director for ACS. “Not only have they been able to save money, but it’s also a positive way of having a greater part to play in the community.”

The levy in Wales—5 pence, or about 8 cents—has triggered a drastic reduction in plastic bag usage. Similar fees in Northern Ireland and in the Republic of Ireland have had comparable results. In 2014, Scotland will begin charging 5 pence per plastic bag as well. The European Union also has proposed requiring EU countries to curb plastic bag usage by fees, bans and reduction targets.

Some retailers in England have started tacking on a levy for plastic bags, with the funds collected being funneled to community initiatives, such as charities and schools. ACS wants to participate in the plastic bag charge only, preferring to keep its exclusion from reporting bag sales to the government because the paperwork would create a hardship for small retailers.

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