Corner shops to charge 5p for plastic bags

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will issue new rules from October 5 which will prompt supermarkets to charge their customers 5p per plastic carrier bag. The government had previously stated that it would be 'costly and unfair' to force the change on small shops with lesser than 250 employees. However, a survey conducted by the Association of Convenience Stores have found that around 8000 corner shops, newsagents and village stores across England are planning to implement the change.
The bag charge will be executed from October 5, matching Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The money raised will go to charity. The extra cost was introduced in Wales in 2011. Figures from Scotland have proved it to be highly effective as single use carrier bag usage has fallen by more than 80 per cent in the region. All the same, a spokesperson from ACS has expressed displeasure saying, “If the government was fully committed to reducing carrier bags it would have introduced a universal scheme. We have lobbied hard on behalf of small retailers that we want to be included. It is frustrating that the government has not listened to us.” The Department responded by saying, “We want to avoid imposing burdens on start-up and growing businesses- but where possible we encourage small businesses to take voluntary action.”
Meanwhile, many speculate whether supermarkets will try to dodge the charge by replacing plastic with paper bags. The official document says paper bags will not carry a charge. It reads, “There is currently no exemption for biodegradability of light weight plastics. We also need to be sure that biodegradable bags could not be identified and separated during the waste management and recycling process.”
Many have also raised questions on the consequences that will fall on their online shop.