Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy noticeShoppers will be charged 10p for using plastic bags in all UK shops from next month, a minister has said. The proposal is aimed at reducing the number of disposable bags by "billions", doubling the charge currently in place. Environment minister Rebecca Pow told Politics Home that the charge will be introduced from May 21. Since 2015, when a 5p carrier bag charge was introduced, only stores which employ 250 people or more were required to do so, while smaller shops could do it voluntarily. A Defra spokeswoman told The Mirror: “The UK is a global leader when it comes to tackling plastic and our 5p carrier bag charge has cut sales by 95% in the main supermarkets.

Source: Daily Mirror April 30, 2021 18:12 UTC