The Welsh 5p Bag Tax
As of tomorrow, shoppers in Wales will have to pay a minimum of 5p per carrier bag they use.
This is an attempt by the Welsh Government to dramatically cut down on the excessive number of bags used in Wales each year.
The legislation forces retailers in Wales to keep a record the number of bags they issue and accounting for where proceeds from the carrier charge are used. There is mixed support at this time for the introduction of the charge and it's hard to foresee how it will be perceived by the public in Wales.
The types of bags included within the legislation are as follows:
- Plastic
- Paper (fast food restaurant paper bags etc.)
- Part-plastic
- Recycled
- Degradable plastic (due to the confusion over which locations do degradable to those who don’t, they too will be subjected to the charge)
The Environment Minister, John Griffiths AM, commented following his decision:
“Last year in Wales we took home on average 273 carrier bags per household from the major supermarkets alone, and this figure does not even account for the number of bags we pick up when shopping on the high street or at smaller stores.”
“Most of these bags are completely unnecessary. They end up cluttering up our cupboards, littering our country or sitting in landfill sites where they take between 500 and 1000 years to degrade.”
“The carrier bag charge is all about helping us to cut down on the number of carrier bags we use. It is a policy that has been welcomed by people across Wales and really is good news for our country”
Wales is the first nation within the UK to pass legislation introducing a levy on single use carrier bags. There had been attempts in Scotland a few years back but lacked parliamentary support to take it any further.
John Griffiths also said, “I am proud that we in Wales are taking the lead in the UK in introducing a charge. This will ensure that people are thinking, and talking, about the problem of single use carrier bags. They are a waste of resources, a problem as litter and a symbol of the throwaway society.”
The fact that Wales has introduced another first can provide a positive feeling that the Welsh Government is leading the way on a variety of issues. Yet others deem it to be another guinea pig experiment before the rest of the UK considers the matter further.
The Republic of Ireland placed a levy on single use carrier bags just under a decade ago. It reported a 94% drop in the use of the plastic bags two weeks after it was introduced with the levy was set at 33€c (30p equivalent in the UK). So the question is will the successes seen by our neighbours in Ireland be mirrored here in Wales? Nothing is certain but the Government believes that according to current day behaviour it would see an approximate £2.6 million being raised and should go to the charities/local environmental groups.
The issue surrounding the charge had been raised in Ireland too, but had been rebutted with the argument that it still provides choice while making people think about and change their behaviour and habits. The legislation in Wales does not go into detail over where people's 5p “tax” will go other than it is up to the individual retailer. The Government hopes the retailers will donate the money to charity or local environmental groups, but it remains a voluntary option rather than a compulsory one. This part of the legislation had seen the most negativity, due to the fact it arguably allows yet another opportunity for retailers to “line their pockets”. The Government argues that public pressure would and could ensure otherwise and they will also create a voluntary code of practise by which retailers could follow.
Types of bags exempt from the charge include:
- Food items that are unwrapped (loose fruit and vegetables, bread, pick and mix, sweets etc.)
- Live aquatic creatures in water (fish, coral, crabs etc.)
- Unpackaged blades (axe, knife blade or razor blade.)
- Loose seeds and bulbs
- Packaged uncooked fish or meat
- Bags on board ships, trains, aircraft, coaches or buses
- Medical (prescriptions and other medicines from behind the counter)
Small businesses employing less than ten people will be except from noting how many bags were distributed.
The Environment Minister hoped people across Wales attempt to avoid the carrier bag charge altogether:
“The idea of the charge is not to make people pay for carrier bags. Rather it is to encourage shoppers to make use of the bags they already have.
“We can all avoid the charge by remembering to carry reusable bags when we do our shopping.”
“We know that reducing our use of carrier bags is not going to solve all our environmental problems, but the charge does deliver an important message about the need for us to live much more sustainable lives.”
The level of the carrier bag charge has been set at 5p because the Welsh Government believes this is high enough to encourage people to change their shopping habits but not so high that it will deter impulse shopping or place a significant burden on shoppers who have forgotten their reusable bags.
“Recently, figures were published showing that the people of Wales had reduced their carrier bag use by 7% over the last year. I am confident that the charge will help us further drive down carrier bag use and I hope next year’s figures will show another reduction.”
The Government has been blamed for bad communication in respect that many retailers are still confused where they fit in to the charge. Some believe they are exempt from the charge as they employ less than ten people but this is not the case, they merely just do not have to maintain a record of the number of bags given out. With less than a month until the legislation kicks in the Government needs to radicalise their message a lot better, they do have a website but knowledge of it is slim.
There will be a three month “teething stage” granted to retailers to provide time to implement their action plan as well as understanding the legislation. After the three months, failure to comply will mean the retailer/provider faces a £5000 fine with the money going back into the public pot to fund the various public services. Many retailers have already suggested they will swallow up the charge if possible due to the feeling of embarrassment of trying to communicate the issue, more specifically to tourists who they argue would feel that Welsh shops are stingy.
Some individuals argue that it is a “stupid” or “unnecessary” charge on individuals on such a “small issue”. They believe attention should be instead focused on combating companies and the excessive packaging they create for their products. Others have stated they would rather cross the border than face the 5p per bag charge, ironic as it would probably cost at least £6 in fuel to do so. It's such a frame of mind that the charge is attempting to change.
Overall there is still confusion over how the legislation will affect businesses in Wales; however there is hope that by October 1st, any issues should have been addressed. Public perception and support remains unclear. However the legislation as a whole is a positive step in addressing an important environmental issue; the Government will monitor how the legislation is implemented and further address the issue of waste as a whole over the next few years.
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5 Comments – Post a comment
tommy b
Commented 7 months ago - 10th October 2011 - 19:39pm
about time, well done WG for starting the ball rolling. we must stop our reliance on all things plastic if we are to move forward as a clean, efficient and sustainable society. Let's hope westminster follow suit..
tommy b
Commented 7 months ago - 10th October 2011 - 19:40pm
also, really great article :) highly informative and interesting
G1nge20
Commented 7 months ago - 15th October 2011 - 23:50pm
cheers - if your interested , im a DECC (Department for Energy and Climate Change Youth Advisory Panel) and continuously write about what DECC and other orgs are doing - here is the link to my personal blog which might be of interest
https://stephenmarshall20.wordpress.com/
thegingerone
Commented 7 months ago - 17th October 2011 - 14:48pm
I personally think that 5p bags are good because this encourages people to use the reusable bags and help the environment. Some shops are charging 5p for paper bags. This is wrong because paper bags can be recycled and I thought the government’s initiative was to charge 5p for a plastic bag because they can’t yet be recycled but charging 5p for a paper bag is not right.
Evanschick
Commented 7 months ago - 17th October 2011 - 15:00pm
One view is that it is a really good thing as it will be better for the environment with no more plastic bags flying around littering up the place and also the profit from this goes to a chosen charity which is good for the community.
On the other hand it is bad because you already would have paid a reasonable amount for your shopping and now you are also being charged for 5p so for four bags of shopping you will have to pay an extra 20p for bags to carry your shopping in, also you could have forgotten to bring your bags with you for your shopping so now you will have to pay for something you will never use again as you already have the recyclable bags.