Carrier Bag Charge in UK - Fear not!

We often get asked by customers how the carrier bag charge will affect them as a retailer. Therefore we have come up with some 'Quick Guidelines' which should help determine how the carrier bag law/levy affects you and your business, as well as enable you to educate your customers also.

The carrier bag charge/levy is currently in place in Northern Ireland, Wales and most recently Scotland. It is being proposed to come into place in October 2015 in England, but read on, as the rules may not be as strict as in other countries.

Bags exempt from charge

(Northern Ireland, Wales & Scotland)

Re-usable bags such as:

Cloth,

Jute,

Cotton,

Hessian

'Bags for Life'

Unwrapped/unpackaged items such as;

Food items

Loose seeds, bulbs, corms or rhizomes – loose grass seed, flower bulbs, seed potatoes etc

Plants or flowers that could have been contaminated by soil.

Blades - axe, knife blade or razor blade.

Plants or flowers that could have been contaminated by soil.

Aquatic creatures

Mail order bags

Small flat paper bags that do not have handles and are no more than 175mm (width) x 260mm (height) or about the size of a greetings card.

Very small plastic bags that do not have handles and are no more than 125mm (width) x 125mm (height).  These could be used for very small items such as buttons or small screws.

Small three dimensional paper bags that do not have a handle and are no more than 80mm (width) x 50mm (gusset width) x 155mm (height).  These are about the size of bottle of cough mixture.

All other bags will incur the carrier bag charge when selling your goods in store, please see your own governments website for details.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS ONLY CHARGED WHEN SELLING GOODS DIRECT TO CUSTOMERS, NOT WHEN PURCHASING YOUR BAGS FROM YOUR SUPPLIER.

SCOTLAND - http://carrierbagchargescotland.org.uk/

WALES - http://www.carrierbagchargewales.gov.uk/retailers/

NORTHERN IRELAND - http://www.nidirect.gov.uk/baglevy

English law is still pending and is due to come in next October 2015, keep up to date by checking the government website;

https://www.gov.uk/government/policies/reducing-and-managing-waste/supporting-pages/charging-for-single-use-plastic-carrier-bags

Proposed plans so far are as follows;

ENGLAND - PROPOSED (OCTOBER 2015)

1. Small and medium-sized (SME) businesses are EXEMPT from the plastic bag charge in England.

2. Plastic bags used to contain hot food or hot drinks for consumption away from the premises on which they are sold within the charge will also be EXEMPT

3. Plastic bags without handles with will EXEMPT (such as gusseted liners and mail order packaging) and bags sealed prior to the point of sale where the customer has no choice, which are considered to be packaging

4. The government also recognise that there will always be a need for some form of single use bag, for example for impulse buysa and will develop standards for a biodegradable bag, with industry, that has fewer environmental effects across its life cycle and can be exempt from the charge.