A tax on all single-use carrier bags is set to be introduced in Scotland. A minimum charge of five pence (5p) will apply to all bags, regardless of material, and is designed to phase out the use of free carrier bags in shops and supermarkets. The money raised – estimated at GBP 5-6m (EUR 6.3-7.5m) based on an 80% drop in bag usage – will be donated to charitable causes, a proportion of which will go towards waste and litter prevention.

The carrier bag tax is one of a series of proposals announced as part of a programme, “Safeguarding Scotland’s Resources”, published on 27 June and intended to promote more efficient use of materials. The levy will be consistent, says the Scottish Government (Edinburgh; www.scotland.gov.uk), with the system introduced in Wales, first announced in November 2009 – see Plasteurope.com of 09.11.2009. The introduction of the tax is expected to lead to much greater reuse of bags and, in being applicable to bags made of any material, is not designed to create an incentive to switch from plastic to types of bags with a higher environmental footprint.

All retailers using disposable carrier bags will be covered by the scheme and will be expected to monitor and report on the number of single-use bags dispensed, the cost of administering the charge, the amounts donated to charity and the recipients of the proceeds. Exemptions to the tax include bags intended for food hygiene, health & safety and confidentiality, plus small plastic or paper bags. The public is being given three months to respond to the tax proposal.

Since its introduction in October 2011, the imposition of a 5p (6 cent) levy in Wales has cut the use of single-use carriers in supermarkets by 60-80% and the Scottish Government hopes it will be similarly effective in Scotland. The proposal has been welcomed by environmental groups but business organisations have had reservations. A spokesperson for CBI Scotland (Glasgow; www.cbi.org.uk) said the tax could act as a barrier for firms looking to invest in Scotland. At the Scottish Retail Consortium (Edinburgh; www.scottishretail.org.uk) director Ian Shearer said retailers shared the ambition of the Scottish Government in trying to reduce bag usage, but added that carrier bags are not the great environmental evil they are often made out to be.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, the Canadian province of Quebec is planning to double the deposit on drinks containers from CAD 5 cents to 10 cents from January 2013 (see Plasteurope.com Web of 28.06.2012).