Plastic bag charge set to affect all retailers

The 5p plastic bag charge could be applied to all retailers as part of new government plans to protect the environment.

Prime Minister Theresa May is set to announce the 25-year environment plan on Thursday 11 to tackle “throw-away culture”. Currently, large businesses which have 250 or more employees are required to charge for single-use plastic carrier bags.

Since introducing the scheme in supermarkets, the number of bags used has decreased by more than 80 percent in England.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has already stated he wants to provide a “green brexit” and that “trees are some of our most cherished natural assets and living evidence of our investment for future generations”.

Earlier this week the government introduced a UK-wide ban on the manufacture of ‘microbeads’, tiny plastic balls found in exfoliating products and facewashes, in order to protect marine life from pollution.