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Earth United Kingdom News

Supermarket Plastic Bag Charge Has Led To 98% Drop in Use in England, Data Shows 197

Posted by msmash from the encouraging-feedback dept.
Environmental campaigners have called on the government to learn from its own successes after official figures showed the use of single-use supermarket plastic bags had fallen 98% since retailers in England began charging for them in 2015. From a report: Annual distribution of plastic carrier bags by seven leading grocery chains plummeted from 7.6bn in 2014 to 133m last year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said on Monday. Rebecca Pow, the minister for environmental quality and resilience, said the policy had "helped to stop billions of single-use carrier bags littering our neighbourhoods or heading to landfill." The government claimed the average person in England now bought just two single-use carrier bags a year from major retailers.

Campaigners welcomed the finding but said the statistic did not account for all types of plastic bag . They also questioned the timing of the announcement, made as experts said plans for 100 new North Sea oil and gas wells, announced the same day by the prime minister would "send a wrecking ball through the UK's climate commitments." A 5p charge for carrier bags was introduced in English supermarkets in 2015. In 2021, the charge was increased to 10p and extended to all businesses. Since then, the number of plastic bags used across all retailers had fallen 35%, from 627m in 2019-20 to 406m in 2022-23, Defra said. Wales had introduced a 5p charge in 2011, Northern Ireland followed suit in 2013 and Scotland did so in 2014. Scotland and Northern Ireland have since raised their charges to 10p and 25p respectively.
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Supermarket Plastic Bag Charge Has Led To 98% Drop in Use in England, Data Shows More

Supermarket Plastic Bag Charge Has Led To 98% Drop in Use in England, Data Shows

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  • I live in a state that just started requiring retailers to charge ($0.10) for plastic bags. I probably use fewer bags and sometimes bring a reusable bag, but I'm definitely not using 98% fewer bags. From looking at others at the checkout, it seems like others aren't using 98% fewer bags either. I imagine there must be more to the story than British people using 98% fewer grocery bags.

    • Re:98%? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Petersko ( 564140 ) on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @05:38PM (#63735374)

      They're geared different culturally, that's all. Europeans generally are just more likely to align on something that is perceived as beneficial for all. Look at which countries were early adopters of laws phasing out incandescents - the EU, Switzerland, and Australia in 2009.

      The unwillingness to accept even the tiniest inconvenience in the name of the collective good is something found mostly in North America., where individualism is almost toxic. Certainly not all Americans... just a very noisy subgroup. Like ex-presidents who don't like how toilets flush.

      • They're geared different culturally, that's all. Europeans generally are just more likely to align on something that is perceived as beneficial for all. Look at which countries were early adopters of laws phasing out incandescents - the EU, Switzerland, and Australia in 2009.

        The unwillingness to accept even the tiniest inconvenience in the name of the collective good is something found mostly in North America., where individualism is almost toxic. Certainly not all Americans... just a very noisy subgroup. Like ex-presidents who don't like how toilets flush.

        I think it has more to do with their willingness to accept top down decisions and centralized structures. For historical and cultural reasons. From the perspective of a dual US/EU citizen.

      • Europeans generally are just more likely to align on something that is perceived as beneficial for all.

        You are over-thinking it. The reason 98% of people in the UK don't buy the plastic bags is because they don't want to spend 10p for one.

    • I live in a state that just started requiring retailers to charge ($0.10) for plastic bags. I probably use fewer bags and sometimes bring a reusable bag, but I'm definitely not using 98% fewer bags. From looking at others at the checkout, it seems like others aren't using 98% fewer bags either. I imagine there must be more to the story than British people using 98% fewer grocery bags.

      Part of the difference could be if they switched to paper, the article doesn't mention that but it's at least part of the answer [euronews.com].

      Another thing could be cultural. The British don't really have a "thumb their nose at the environment" party the way the US does. So on the one hand you have a lot fewer people using plastic simply to spite the greenies, and at the same time they might have developed cultural norms that at the grocery store you use feel a bit of shame for using a disposable plastic bag.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by pjt33 ( 739471 )

        When I needed a bag in a UK supermarket earlier this year, it certainly felt like plastic rather than paper, but it was moderately heavy-duty plastic, easily good for a dozen shopping trips. I think it's probably a combination of some people switching to heavy-duty plastic weave bags ("bags for life") and other people making a bit more of an effort to remember to grab a bag from the cupboard or the car when they go shopping.

        • We changed from disposable to re-usable bags, I am just concerned that the re-usable bags contain more plastic in 1 bag than the amount of 1 use plastic bags they replace.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Sadly our government is moving towards anti-environmentalism. At the moment it's mostly pitched as not wanting to increase costs for anyone. The classic "make your kids pay for it" strategy.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by Meneth ( 872868 )
      Here's the math:

      Annual distribution of plastic carrier bags by seven leading grocery chains plummeted from 7.6bn in 2014 to 133m in 2022.

      133 / 7600 = 1.75%.

  • Good for the UK!

    I only wish so many people in the U.S. didn't believe it's their god given right to create mountains of plastic trash or fuel their cars with "recycled dinosaurs".

    Lego is starting to switch away from their plastic packaging, but their manuals are still a problem. All too often, they use too many pages for steps that could have easily been printed on a single page. While their core product is made of plastic, I can't ever remember when I intentionally threw a single Lego in the trash going

  • Worked for me (Score:4)

    by dskoll ( 99328 ) on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @05:34PM (#63735350) Homepage

    Where I live in Canada, stores started charging 5 cents each for plastic bags. Since the reusable ones were only 25 cents it was a no-brainer to switch to reusable ones.

    Now they've banned the plastic bags completely, but I didn't even notice, having switched already.

    • Here in New Zealand before they outlawed single use bags, they where 5 cents for a reusable and $5 for a reusable so not so obvious choice. It's unlikely you would reuse it 100 times before it broke or got lost.

  • Do the 5 cent plastic bags count as single use? (Score:3)

    by SmaryJerry ( 2759091 ) on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @05:42PM (#63735390)
    In my state, they still offer plastic bags but they are much thicker and probably use 5 times as much plastic, and say on them, "good for 150 uses." So does that bag which can be used 150 times, but is actually thrown away after 1 use, not count as single use plastic?
    • The article says "distribution of plastic carrier bags by seven leading grocery chains plummeted from 7.6bn in 2014 to 133m last year"

      7.6B isn't greater than 133M by a measly factor of 5, but by a factor of 57.

      Of course you are right that success hinges on people re-using the reusable bags. In England, this data indicates that they do.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      The probability of you throwing it away is much lower if a) it is sturdy enough to last 150 uses, and b) you had to pay for it.

      Of course you were always paying for disposable bags too, but the cost was hidden in the price of the goods.

  • No Bans (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Thelasko ( 1196535 )
    Just don't ban them! I just returned from a trip to Colorado and ended up with a massive pile of reusable bags due to their ban. I probably ended up using 10 times as much plastic.

    I don't care if you charge a few cents per bag. I usually bring reusable bags anyway. But don't do more damage to the environment if I forget them!

  • View from the UK (Score:5, Informative)

    by coopertempleclause ( 7262286 ) on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @05:57PM (#63735450)
    Seems to be a bit of confusion here.

    We did not switch to paper bags. Paper bags have almost never been a thing in England barring a few specific uses.

    We simply reuse the plastic bags we already have now. Most people keep a stockpile of old ones (these tend to be the sturdier ones) in their homes/cars and we take those into the shops with us now.

    Fruit and vegetables are largely put loose in with your shopping now and don't require a separate thing plastic bag anymore.

    It took a few weeks to get used to, but everyone's fine with it now.

    • Geez, way to ruin a perfectly good uninformed argument with facts!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by q_e_t ( 5104099 )
      Or people buy 'bags for life' or use other bags such as backpacks or whatever. The advantage of these is that they don't fall apart on you. Another trend is bagless home delivery.

    • Paper bags have almost never been a thing in England barring a few specific uses.

      Depends how far back you go. I am old enough to remember they were common both for small things like sweets and biscuits (usually sold loose) and for larger things you could buy a strong paper bag, almost as thick as cardboard with either re-inforced hand holes or string handles. My mother went shopping with a couple of large faux-leather shopping bags and some net-like string bags for things like potatoes; on foot of course.

    • Re:View from the UK (Score:5, Insightful)

      by DeathToBill ( 601486 ) on Thursday August 03, 2023 @05:03AM (#63736624) Journal
      At the same time, the "98%" figure is wildly misleading. That's a 98% reduction in _single use_ plastic bags, not in plastic bags. Given that most supermarkets have now stopped providing single-use bags altogether, it's not exactly surprising that their use has dropped precipitously.

      Meanwhile, other studies have found an increase in the amount of plastic being used to make plastic bags because you have to reuse them a large number of times before they actually use less plastic than a disposable polypropylene bag. Estimates vary wildly, but it's anything from four to 40 times a bag has to be reused before it becomes more environmentally friendly - depending mostly on exactly which bag is taken as being representative.

  • You can get a nice reusable bag at most stores for a couple of bucks that can last for quite some time. Bring it with you when you go shopping, problem solved.

  • But... then I have to buy plastic bags to pick up dog poop, instead of reusing the grocery bags.

  • Third world country for you (Score:4, Funny)

    by sonlas ( 10282912 ) on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @06:07PM (#63735492)

    Oh, would you look at that? The US has finally embraced LED lighting and reusable plastic bags! How absolutely charming that you've joined us in the modern world. It's endearing to witness such progress, albeit a bit late, from a country that once held such greatness. Keep it up, you're getting there!

    • Hey, we're the #1 third world country in the world, and I believe the current fashion is to call it a developing shiathole country.
    • This kind of smug snark accomplishes nothing aside from provoking equally nasty replies and worsening the opinions of any Americans here of non-Americans (and in-group out-group dynamics are already a major problem here). It's completely valid to point out that the US is lagging behind in many environmental initiatives and that this is an area that we should be working on, but these kinds of comments are exactly the sort that trigger a spite response. If your goal is to troll and piss people off to the poin
  • Reusable cloth bags are the best way go to. The added bonus for me was not having to throw away plastic bags or to recycle paper bags. It's great.
  • I do not drive and shop daily/erratically. Now I just have a collection of about four hundred 35 cent polyester plastic bags in my coat closet. I can't return them. I can't recycle them. I can't throw them out. II suppose once I have enough I could create some kind of art installation sculpture? Also, these things will last wayy longer in the environment than the old plastic bags that I could reuse for cat litter and the like. It is all just dumb.

    • I do not drive and shop daily/erratically.

      So?

      I own no car and shop ad-hoc when I need it. Somehow I don't have a problem, because when I do go shopping, I take some bags with me. And when I'm out and about, I usually have some sort of day bag and keep a packable shopping bag which I ended up with just in case.

  • In Spain it's something similar. Before I used them for trash but now I buy plastic trash bags while I buy using reusable bags. In my case there isn't such a great difference in the plastic used.

  • Plastic bags suck. (Score:3)

    by RitchCraft ( 6454710 ) on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @07:48PM (#63735810)

    My wife has been using cloth freezer and non freezer bags for years. She takes them with her to the store in the van and then bags everything in them when she gets back to the van. They are SUPERIOR to plastic bags and she's been using the same bags for years now. All of the cold stuff in the freezer bags also means it's still nice and cold by the time she gets home. Plastic bags should have been outlawed decades ago. I've seen others use cardboard boxes too (at the local Aldi) which work just as well.

  • At the supermarket the bagger asks you "paper or plastic"

    At Walmart you don't get a choice, plastic it is. Of course you still put those smaller plastic bagged stuff into the large reusables you brought with you once you get out of the checkout area so you can carry them onto the bus (limit 4 bags per person)

  • Maui banned plastic bags effective 2011. I visited both before and after. Before, north shore (windward) sugar cane fields near roads, had festoons of plastic bags clinging to the dense cane stands. After, the roadsides and cane stands were quite clear of plastic.

  • What environmental problem are they solving? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by FeelGood314 ( 2516288 ) on Wednesday August 02, 2023 @09:19PM (#63736034)
    In Canada the government has banned plastic store bags, plastic straws and plastic knives and forks. A plastic bag weighs in at 3.5 grams, the straw 1.7g and a fork or knife at 0.7g. I live in Ottawa, one of the least dense cities on the planet. 1.1 million people, 280 km^2. So my drive to anywhere to spend money is 15km round trip or just over 1 liter of gas (about 1kg). My shopping might use 10g of plastic or if I eat out 5g. The volume of landfill these materials take up is insignificant and we could just burn them for electricity since they would pollute less then coal if burned. Most people are responsible and don't liter (our largest source of liter by far is our garbage pickup). Further, the 8 tires on my car will lose 1kg combined each year (summer and winter tires). So shopping once a week and eating out twice a week will generate 20g / week of plastic or 1kg per year, literally the same as my tire wear. If only 1% of these disposable plastics end up in the environment then my tires are adding 100x more plastic to then environment than this ban is saving.
    So the bans aren't to save hydro carbons
    They aren't so protect the environment from plastics
    They aren't saving landfill space
    And they sure as heck aren't to prevent global warming
    This is yet again another virtue signaling circle jerk so we can pat ourselves on the back while not actually doing anything meaningful.
  • To be honest I'm fine with Paper bags and glass bottles, aluminum cans, etc. Stop making so much single use plastic
    • Aluminum cans often have a plastic lining in them. Sure, it's thinner than a plastic bottle, but it's not completely free of plastic.

  • I and many others use fabric bags and mesh bags are also an option.

    I also use rugged plastic bins in my vehicles. Bags go in bins, then I slide bins onto my hand truck at home to bring them indoors. If you're doing to perform a task hundreds or thousands of times it's silly not to refine the process so I do. This works very well for the large shopping runs I do to keep a full pantry and make fewer shopping trips which which in excess are a time and fuel waster.

    Truck owners note I use Contico bins but one

  • If you have a Trader Joes anywhere near you, their reusable bags are far superior to any others I have found. About the size of a traditional paper bag, but made of tear-resistant (woven) plastic and with long, strong handles. You can pack them heavy and pack them full with no issues. I've even used them to carry 12-packs of soda/beer with no risk of "tear out". I keep a dozen or so in each car and use them for most all my shopping, even at the home-stores.

  • I don't know why they insist on calling all the old-style bags "single-use", there was absolutely no reason why you couldn't re-use them multiple times, why discourage this? How about "thin"?

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