Carrier Bag Charges Discussed

In a bid to reduce Northern Ireland's carbon footprint a consultation has been launched to discuss introducing legislation that will see shoppers pay for every new carrier bag they use.

It has been suggested that carrier bag charging will be introduced in two stages. Firstly a levy of five pence will be issued for single use carrier bags, including bags made from plastic, paper or other materials with an aim of the charge being introduced from April 2013.

It is then understood that from April 2014 the charge will be extended to lower cost reusable carrier bags. This will provide consumers with an opportunity to adjust their shopping behaviour by bringing their own bags, instead of being charged the 10p per bag after the extension of the levy in April 2014.

This legislation would put in place a uniform charge for all retailers in Northern Ireland. Supermarket giants across the UK like Tesco, Asda and Lidl have previously helped promote the reuse of carrier bags - some even giving incentives, such as the 'green points' from Tesco, to encourage such behaviour.

The legislation is subject to approval but Environment Minister Alex Attwood said the new levy will be of interest to many consumers and businesses in Northern Ireland.

He said: " I am confident that the levy can make a positive contribution towards making Northern Ireland a greener and cleaner place to live, work and invest."

(LB/GK)