CARRIER BAGS
Increasing use in UK supermarkets / Overall tonnage of bags continues to drop / Mandatory charges affect use in Wales and Northern Ireland
In 2013, participating supermarket retailers in the UK saw the use of carrier bags edge up to 3.2% over 2012 figures, but the latest numbers still indicate a 29% drop over the baseline year of 2006. According to data recently released by the UK-based Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP, Banbury; www.wrap.org.uk), consumers in the UK used 8.76 bn bags in 2013 compared with 8.49 bn in 2012, but the number is still a huge dip over 2006, when the figure was 12.42 bn. The not-for-profit recycling organisation stressed that total carrier bags included 8.34 bn thin-gauge or "single-use" bags.
Initially, a target had been set to reduce thin-gauge carrier bags by 50% by the spring of 2009 marked against a 2006 baseline. WRAP reported that the goal was narrowly missed, with the UK measuring a 48% reduction in the target year. Despite not reaching the desired outcome, supermarket retailers agreed to continue monitoring the figures though no formal targets were set for the years since 2009.
A few years ago when the programme for data collection was set up, the participants – the Scottish Government, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra, www.defra.gov.uk), the Welsh Assembly Government, the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment along with the British Retail Consortium (BRC, London / UK) and its supermarket members – agreed to three key metrics for the study. Thus, the study results are generally broken down along number of bags (total and per capita); bag weight in tonnes and virgin polymer use in tonnes.
The weight of all carrier bags used by participating supermarket retailers came in at 67,300 t, much lower than the 2006 figure of 109,800 t, not to mention the previous year’s 70,400 t. WRAP says this represents a 4.4% decrease between 2012 and 2013 and a reduction of 39% since the baseline year of 2006. However, since the end of the voluntary agreement in 2009, overall weight has gone up by 3%. In the final metric, the data shows a 48% slide in the amount of virgin polymer used in all carrier bags between 2006 and 2013. Yet, 2013 figures rose by 4.8% over the previous year.
When looking at the overall findings in the 2013 data, WRAP says it is important to note that the UK’s retailer sales volume decreased by 1.6% between 2010 and 2013. In addition there has been an introduction of a carrier bag charge in Wales and Northern Ireland (see Plasteurope.com of 09.11.2009 and of 22.04.2013) and the respective impact of the charges can be seen in the individual data of the four nations making up the UK. In terms of recycling options for customers, WRAP notes that about 40% of grocery stores in the UK have a facility to recycle plastic-film and polyethylene carrier bags but convenience stores tend not to.
Participating retailers in the study include Asda, Co-operative Group, Marks & Spencer, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets, Tesco and Waitrose.
e-Service:
"UK Voluntary Carrier Bag Monitoring - 2013 Data" as a PDF file
Initially, a target had been set to reduce thin-gauge carrier bags by 50% by the spring of 2009 marked against a 2006 baseline. WRAP reported that the goal was narrowly missed, with the UK measuring a 48% reduction in the target year. Despite not reaching the desired outcome, supermarket retailers agreed to continue monitoring the figures though no formal targets were set for the years since 2009.
A few years ago when the programme for data collection was set up, the participants – the Scottish Government, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra, www.defra.gov.uk), the Welsh Assembly Government, the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment along with the British Retail Consortium (BRC, London / UK) and its supermarket members – agreed to three key metrics for the study. Thus, the study results are generally broken down along number of bags (total and per capita); bag weight in tonnes and virgin polymer use in tonnes.
The weight of all carrier bags used by participating supermarket retailers came in at 67,300 t, much lower than the 2006 figure of 109,800 t, not to mention the previous year’s 70,400 t. WRAP says this represents a 4.4% decrease between 2012 and 2013 and a reduction of 39% since the baseline year of 2006. However, since the end of the voluntary agreement in 2009, overall weight has gone up by 3%. In the final metric, the data shows a 48% slide in the amount of virgin polymer used in all carrier bags between 2006 and 2013. Yet, 2013 figures rose by 4.8% over the previous year.
When looking at the overall findings in the 2013 data, WRAP says it is important to note that the UK’s retailer sales volume decreased by 1.6% between 2010 and 2013. In addition there has been an introduction of a carrier bag charge in Wales and Northern Ireland (see Plasteurope.com of 09.11.2009 and of 22.04.2013) and the respective impact of the charges can be seen in the individual data of the four nations making up the UK. In terms of recycling options for customers, WRAP notes that about 40% of grocery stores in the UK have a facility to recycle plastic-film and polyethylene carrier bags but convenience stores tend not to.
Participating retailers in the study include Asda, Co-operative Group, Marks & Spencer, Morrison’s, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets, Tesco and Waitrose.
e-Service:
"UK Voluntary Carrier Bag Monitoring - 2013 Data" as a PDF file
31.07.2014 Plasteurope.com [228902-0]
Published on 31.07.2014