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.
English law is still pending and is due
to come in next October 2015, keep up to date by checking the government
website;
Proposed
plans so far are as follows;
ENGLAND - PROPOSED (OCTOBER 2015)
Small and medium-sized (SME) businesses are EXEMPT from the plastic
bag charge in England.
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
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
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.
greenhouse film
mulch film
Peugeot Printed Products
personalised car floor mats