Why the 5p shopping bag charge will cost young Brits the most

RUKI SAYID
29 SEP 2015
Telegraph UK
In October, shoppers in England will have to start paying for plastic bags at the supermarket. But some age groups will be paying way more than others
Younger shoppers will pay the most for supermarket carrier bags as they can’t be bothered to take their own when the new 5p charge becomes law.
From Monday (Oct 5), stores will hit forgetful Brits with the levy for each plastic bag they take at the checkout. Check out other ways to carry your shopping home here .
While less than two in ten adult shoppers revealed they would rather take the hit than carry bags around, the figure rises to a fifth of under 35s who prefer to pay than take their own totes.
A study by analysts Future Thinking found eight in ten consumers were aware of the new charge and the over 55s were the best prepared with more than three quarters planning to take their own bags for life when shopping.
However, corner store shoppers hoping to pick up free bags will also be hammered as convenience stores have revealed they are jumping on the 5p bandwagon .
The law only requires retailers with more than 250 staff to charge for plastic bags but chains including Londis, Budgens, Spar, One Stop and Landmark Costcutter are all expected to encourage their independent retailers to add the fee for bags taken at the till.
And the Association of Convenience Stores said 16% of its members from village stores to newsagents also planned to charge.
Cash raised will go to good causes and Spar told trade magazine The Grocer : “We are encouraging all our retailers to charge 5p for single use plastic bags regardless of employee numbers from October 5.”
Tesco revealed it was dishing out a limited number of bags for life free in the run up to Monday’s law change.
And it is making the 5p bags stronger using recycled plastic from its stores, so they can be used more often.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already charge for bags but the levy across England is expected to raise £730 million for charity, save £60 million in litter clean up costs and slash plastic bag use by 80% by 2025.
Environment Minister Rory Stewart said: “Using fewer plastic bags will have a huge impact on our natural and marine environment and will help clean up our high streets, but if people do need to take a new plastic bag from a shop, they should feel confident that their money is going to a good cause – done properly this new initiative will be of huge benefit to our environment, and to society.”
Figures from green charity WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) show the number of carrier bags dished out by stores jumped by 2.3% from 8.3billion in 2013 to 8.5billion last year across the UK.
And according to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), a typical household has a stash of 40 plastic carrier bags that could be reused.
But pressure group the TaxPayers’ Alliance has slammed the fee as a “shopping tax” that will cost families £1.5 billion over the next ten years.