Carrier bag charge, charities and the environment

The introduction of the 5p charge for carrier bags in England has certainly stirred up some dust. One of the main decision making factors was reducing litter. It’s worth pointing out that both Scotland and Wales, Northern Ireland and Eire already make the charge. Now in my line of business, roadside litter collections, I’ve come across quite a number and today I made a point of counting how many went into my bag. On a nice country lane surrounded by farmland I picked up 4. There is always plenty of other types of litter like drinks bottles and cans, cigarette debris but so often the carrier bags stand out like a sore thumb. Understandably, I support the charge. The availability of carrier bags has made us all just plain lazy.

The other aspect of the charge which is relevant to this blog is that proceeds from the charges are supposed to go to good causes. Could that include charities around Prostate Cancer? Well, earlier in the week, when I did a search, I couldn’t find anything from the major supermarkets but today found a number of statements. Proceeds in Morrisons are going to the Morrison’s Foundation from there they will be distributed. A number of supermarkets are contributing together to help establish a state of the art dementia centre in London, they include Asda, Iceland and Waitrose. Tesco will be supporting community green spaces initiatives. I’ve not found anything specifically for Prostate Cancer but Macmillan will benefit and they contribute so much to the care of those who are nearing the end of their life including men with advanced Prostate Cancer as well as their families. So it is good news all round.

I did find statistics from Morrisons regarding income from the charge in both Wales and Scotland just to get an idea of possible proceeds. The following is from their website. Don’t forget this is one supermarket and population sizes also vary between the home nations. Based on these figures this is going to be a serious windfall for the charities which receive support through the scheme. It is striking how many bags are still issued even with the charge.

Proceeds generated in Wales

Reporting year 2014/15

Number of Single use carrier bags	Gross Amount Received	VAT	Net Proceeds
9,596,430	£479,822	£79,970	£399,851

Proceeds generated in Scotland

Over the most recent reporting period proceeds generated from charging 5p for carrier bags in our Scottish stores generated a £460,206. 

Reporting year 2014/15

Number of Single use carrier bags	Gross Amount Received	VAT	Net Proceeds
9,204,124	£460,206	£76,701	£383,505

I mentioned in an earlier post we had been to Clatterbridge last week. From their we went for an unplanned visit to Cheshire Oaks – no bags! So I paid my 5p. In M&S I asked the question about where proceeds would go. The assistant did not know but she did tell me that that Clatterbridge Cancer Charity was that particular store’s nominated charity. There were collection boxes all along the counter and the assistant was so enthusiastic. Well done  to all those retailers who support their local community.

Can't see anything but good coming from this law. Now we have to work out how to get rid of all that plastic wrapping so many of our purchases come in.