The introduction of charges for single use carrier bags has been a big success, according to figures from high street retailers.
They reveal that high profile campaigns and fashion statement alternatives to plastic, combined with charges and incentives, such as green loyalty points, have helped some retailers cut bag use by as much as 85%.
Since launching a 5p charge for food bags last May as part of its scheme to reduce waste, Marks & Spencer says the number of bags taken home has fallen by 80%, from 460m bags a year to 80m. The National Trust, which introduced a 5p charge on 1 May last year in its shops and garden centres, has managed to slash plastic bag usage by 85%, or 1m bags a year. It said just 5% of its customers were now taking the disposable option.
Retailers who have incentivised customers to reuse bags have also seen success. Tesco, which offers one green point to its clubcard customers for every bag they reuse, says it has cut bag use by 50% since it launched the scheme in August 2006, saving 3bn bags in the process. In the past year alone, 1.8bn bags have been saved. Sainsbury's, which has also offered extra loyalty points to customers, will not reveal how many bags it has saved, but says experiments such as sending text messages to customers to remind them to bring a bag when they go shopping had proved successful.
