Under a new English Government scheme, customers at all large UK shops will be charged 5p for each single-use carrier bag they use during their shopping trip.
The scheme, which comes into effect on 5 October 2015, is expected to see plastic carrier bag use in England to drop by nearly 70% according to English retailer, Tesco.
In the week prior to the scheme’s commencement, Tesco will offer a limited number of free ‘Bags for Life’ at the till to assist customers reduce their bag use and become accustomed to using ‘Bags for Life’.
The money raised from the 5p bag charge in England will be used to pay for local environmental improvement projects, such as building new pocket parks, sports facilities, woodland walks and community gardens, across the UK.