A tax on plastic bags to be introduced in England later this year will cause retailer and customer confusion, according to the UK Packaging and Films Association (PAFA, Nottingham; www.pafa.org.uk). The 5p charge on single-use plastic carrier bags will be introduced in October, with an exemption for SMEs – see Plasteurope.com of 23.10.2014. There is already a similar 5p charge on single-use bags in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Dan Rogerson, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), has now given the legislation the go-ahead. Barry Turner, PAFA’s CEO, said it is disappointing that the Minister did not take full account of representations made by the packaging and films industry, retailers and other expert organisations. “This will inevitably result in confusing messages for retailers and for consumers,” he added.

PAFA claims the new legislation has been rushed through before the general election, with the result that it ignores many expert views. The legislation is also incomplete on the issue of exemptions and ill-advised on the role of biodegradable bags, it said. The government has said it is working with industry and academic experts to review existing standards for biodegradability, and biodegradable bags could be exempted from the tax in the future. To propose an exemption for biodegradable bags that currently do not exist “shows further reluctance by government to tackle the root cause of littering in the UK in a systematic way,” complained PAFA.

PAFA also raised concerns that the exemption of paper bags from the charge could result in more paper in the litter stream. “The packaging industry needs to rally together and move the debate on litter forward to focus it where it should be – on consistent enforcement of existing regulation, changing behaviour, moving toward a zero tolerance on litter by all and finally ensuring proper provision to ensure that litter bins are in the right place,” Turner said.