Five-pence charge has saved six billion plastic bags

The charge has also resulted in donations of more than £29m from retailers towards good causes including charities and community groups

Retailers with 250 or more full-time equivalent employees have to charge a minimum of 5p for the bags they provide for shopping in stores and for deliveries (GETTY)

Shoppers in England are set to take home six billion fewer single-use plastic bags this year as a result of the 5p charge, early figures suggest.

More than seven billion of the bags were handed out by seven main retailers in 2014, but this figure dropped to just over half a billion in the first six months after the 5p charge was introduced in October last year, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

The charge has also resulted in donations of more than £29m from retailers towards good causes including charities and community groups.

Environment minister Thérèse Coffey said: “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 break down in landfill sites.

“The 5p charge has clearly been a huge success – not only for our environment but for good causes across the country that have benefitted from an impressive £29m raised. 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.”

Dr Sue Kinsey of 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.”

Tesco’s UK and Ireland chief executive Matt Davies said: “The Government’s bag charge has helped our customers (in England) reduce the number of bags they use by 30 million each week, which is great news for the environment.”

England was the last part of the UK to introduce the charge, which was part of a Government scheme to reduce litter and protect wildlife.

Retailers with 250 or more full-time equivalent employees have to charge a minimum of 5p for the bags they provide for shopping in stores and for deliveries, but smaller shops and paper bags are not included.

Environmentalists welcomed the move but have called for a more comprehensive scheme that includes all retailers and all types of bags.

At the time of the launch, the Government expected the scheme to reduce use of single-use carrier bags by up to 80 per cent in supermarkets and 50 per cent on the high street.

It is also expected to save £60m in litter clean-up costs and generate £730m for good causes.

Press Association