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Shoppers in England to use 6 billion fewer plastic bags after charge introduced

Xinhua, July 31, 2016 Adjust font size:

Six billion fewer plastic bags will be taken home by shoppers in England this year since a mandatory charge of 5 pence (7 U.S. cents) was introduced last October.

Early data released Saturday by the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) reveals that the bag surcharge will also lead to almost 39 million U.S.dollars being donated in 2016 to good causes in England. The windfall money is going to charities and community groups.

"Around eight million tonnes of plastic makes its way into oceans each year, posing a serious threat to natural and marine environment, with experts estimating that plastic is ingested by 31 species of marine mammals and over 100 species of sea birds," said a Defra spokesman.

Environment Minister Therese Coffey said Saturday: "Taking six billion plastic bags out of circulation is fantastic news for all of us. It will mean our precious marine life is safer, our communities are cleaner and future generations won't be saddled with mountains of plastic sat taking hundreds of years to breakdown in landfill sites."

"The 5p charge has clearly been a huge success not only for our environment but for good causes across the country. It shows small actions can make the biggest difference, but we must not be complacent as there is always more we can all do to reduce waste and recycle what we use."

In 2014, seven main retailers in England handed out 7.6 billion free plastic carrier bags to customers. This fell to just over half a billion in the first six months of the 5p charge for single use carrier bags which was introduced in October 2015.

Dr. Sue Kinsey, technical specialist at the waste at the Marine Conservation Society said: "We are delighted to see that the bag charge in England is showing positive results. This is a significant reduction that will benefit the environment as a whole, and our sea life in particular." Endit