LONDON (AFP) — Britain is to force supermarkets and other shops to charge for plastic bags to cut down on ballooning pollution, the government said Wednesday, in an effort to catch up with other countries.
Finance minister Alistair Darling, unveiling the move in his first budget, said legislation would be introduced to impose a charge on single-use carrier bags unless retailers take action voluntarily.
"Given the damage that single-use carrier bags inflict on the environment, we want to be able to take action," Darling told parliament.
"Legislation would come into force in 2009 and based on other countries' experience, it could lead to a 90 percent reduction, with around 12 billion fewer plastic bags in circulation."
The last comment was an admission that, on a global level, Britain is behind on the plastic issue: most of its European partners, African nations and even China taking tougher measures.
The country's media is increasingly banging the drum for action: the mass-market Daily Mail devoted eight pages to a "Banish the Bags" campaign last month, pressing the government to outlaw non-biodegradable carriers.
Two days later Prime Minister Gordon Brown wrote in the daily: "I have already made clear that over time we should aim to eliminate the single-use plastic bag altogether.
"I want to make clear that if government compulsion is needed to make the change, we will take the necessary steps," he said.
The comments came a year after he secured agreement in February 2007 from some 20 companies including the main supermarket chains, to reduce the environmental impact of their plastic bags by 25 percent by the end of 2008.
The Waste Resources Action Programme (WRAP), tasked with making sure they stuck to their commitments, found a reduction of 14 percent over the first 12 months.
A wide variety of methods are used to persuade people to cut their use of plastic, including making them pay for it; cutting the price of more eco-friendly bags; organizing collections of used bags.
Then leading store chain Marks and Spencer announced at the end of February that, from May, its food shops would charge five pence (six euro cents, 10 cents) for each bag, with profits going to green groups.
Supermarket leader Tesco is still giving out bags for free, but underlines that they are biodegradable and offers points in a loyalty scheme for customers who decide not to use them.
Since August 2006 Tesco has given out 1.3 billion fewer plastic bags, but that still amounts to four billion of the carriers.
A number of local authorities have also taken action: the latest is London's City Hall, which organized a publicity campaign last month on Oxford Street and Regent Street, two key shopping thoroughfares in the city centre.
Some 2.2 billion plastic bags are handed out every year in the capital.
London's city fathers have also spearheaded a recent campaign on a related green front: promoting tap water in restaurants and bars, pointing out that it is 300 times less polluting than bottled water and 500 times cheaper.
Turning on the water tap will turn off the production of plastic bottles, they argue.
The government is also joining this green wave: last week it announced that, from this summer, ministers will only drink tap water in Whitehall meetings.
According to the city's daily Evening Standard, which is leading a campaign called "Water on Tap," the government's action will cut 250,000 bottles per year.
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