England bag charges have big impact

Supermarket chain Tesco says a levy on plastic carrier bags has resulted in a 78 per cent reduction in the number taken home by shoppers in England.

Britain's biggest supermarket says there has been a 78 per cent drop in the number of plastic bags being taken by England shoppers since the introduction of a five-pence (10 Australian cents) charge.

The British government introduced the bag levy for England in October with the aim of cutting the number of plastic bags taken from shops and improving the environment.

Charges had already been introduced in Wales and Scotland.

Tesco, which has a 28 per cent share of Britain's grocery market, on Saturday noted the effect the change had had.

"We knew the government's bag charge would encourage our customers to use fewer plastic bags and it's clearly had a huge impact," Tesco said.

Money raised from the levy is going to charitable causes.


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Source: AAP



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