British shoppers are selling 'vintage carrier bags' online

One seller has put some bags up for sale on eBay at the asking price of £1,000 for 5 bags

British supermarkets gave out 6.9 billion plastic bags last year (Micha Theiner)

British customers are trying to make money out of the new carrier bag charge rule by putting “vintage carrier” bags ups for sale online after a controversial law came into force at the beginning of the month.

Supermarkets and large stores in England must charge a minimum of 5p for every carrier bag since the new rule started on October 5. Since then, enterprising shoppers have started selling their old carrier bags online.

Some have joked about it on social media:

But one seller has put some bags up for sale on eBay at the asking price of £1,000 for 5 bags in a listing ending on November 5.

5 "random" plastic bags listing on eBay (screenshot) (eBay)

Another is selling an original Asda brand shopping plastic bag for a £0.99.

“Grab a piece of history- from the good old days when you didn't have to get a 5p thick plastic bag or get your kids to carry the shopping. Handles are still intact,” the listing reads.

Asda bag sale (screenshot from eBay) (eBay)

The seller then advertises the many uses the “retro bag” can have:

“These have a variety of uses – can be used on your bike seat to keep it dry (but you may also need to use a padlock between the handles so that it is not stolen). Or you could use them at home in your small bins to collect rubbish. Or you could just shop with it.”

While one customer from Plymouth was reportedly advertising a collection of around 200 carrier bags for an asking price of £5 on the “Anything Plymouth” page on Facebook.

Shoppers in England are charged 5p for each new large carrier bag as part of a change in the law that aims to reduce litter and protect the environment.

England is now in line with the rest of the UK, where a small charge already applies.

In Wales, plastic bag use fell by 79 per cent in the first three years of the charge. The number of plastic carrier bags handed out in stores was reduced by at least 650 millions in the first year of Scotland’s 5 p charge.