From:Packaging News

Scotland’s single use carrier bag usage has dropped by 80% since a bag charge was introduced a year ago.

Scottish environment secretary Richard Lochhead said retailers have reported a 650 million drop in the number of bags used since 20 October 2014, with around £6.7m being donated to charities through the charge.

The Cabinet Secretary said: “The 5p charge has been a major success with the number of single use bags down by a staggering 650 million, and with nearly £7m raised for good causes.”

He added: “It’s now becoming second nature to shoppers to reuse their carrier bags and hopefully to think more about our impact on the environment. I am confident that Scotland is going to go from strength to strength in its bid to tidy up our streets and beaches, where litter has been a highly visible problem in the past.”

Iain Gulland, chief executive, Zero Waste Scotland, added: “With retailers in Scotland reporting a reduction of 80% in the use of single use carrier bags, it’s evident that Scottish shoppers have embraced a new shopping habit. It’s not always easy to change our habits, but Scotland is proving it has this in the bag.”

Boots, Morrisons, the Co-operative and Waitrose have indicated a reduction of 80%, while Asda has reported a 90% drop; Sainsburys has stamped out carrier bag usage in its Scottish stores as it longer offers them to shoppers.

The reduction of 650 million means that the net material saving is more than 4,000 tonnes annually (equivalent to more than 500 million single use carrier bags) and the net carbon saving is more than 2,500 tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually. This accounts for total reductions offset by estimated increases in other forms of plastic bag – for example reusable bags for life and small bin liners.

The 5p carrier bag charge was introduced in England on 5 October this year.