As Sky News reports citing the Environment Minister Alex Attwood, Northern Ireland is to impose a 5-pense surcharge on plastic bags. Money raised from this levy will be forwarded to the Department of the Environment.
BBC News highlights that the measure aims to deter environment by reducing drastically the use of single carrier bags by 80% rather than to private enrichment.
According to estimates, people in Northern Ireland currently use 250 million bags a year, 140 per person.
Both plastic and paper bags will fall under the new regulation. The takeaway hot food, bags used solely for unpackaged food, pharmaceutical drugs and personal care items are among the exemptions. Northern Ireland is the second UK’s region after Wales to impose such a levy. In addition, in the neighboring Ireland the tax was introduced in 2002. It is expected that after the tax the amount of carrier bags in circulation will be slashed by 95%.
Some other countries have also imposed a charge on plastic bags as they are environmentally harmful and cannot be dissolved or recycled. Thus, Italian supermarkets are not allowed to give out plastic bag since 2011.