Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to (a) further incentivise and (b) ensure that large retailers distribute the Plastic Bag Levy to sustainable causes.
The charge on single-use carrier bags was introduced to decrease the number of bags in circulation and to encourage consumers to use more sustainable, reusable bags. The introduction has reduced the sale of single-use carrier bags in the main supermarkets by 95%. We have announced our plans to increase the minimum charge to 10p and to extend the charge to all retailers from April 2021.
The government expects retailers to donate the proceeds of the charge to good causes, but it is ultimately for them to choose what to do with the revenue raised. Since the charge was introduced, our data shows that almost £180 million has been donated to charities and other good causes from the proceeds from the charge. Further details can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/carrier-bag-charge-summary-of-data-in-england.