Scottish shoppers could be charged for each carrier bag they use under new moves to protect the environment.
The Scottish Government has announced that it is to carry out a consultation on ways to reduce the number of single-use plastic carrier bags.
More than 10 billion bags were given to shoppers in the UK last year and, although this is a third less than five years ago, the number of bags given to shoppers is back on the rise. As well as being harmful to wildlife, the bags cause environmental damage as they do not rot in landfill.
Shoppers used 6.4 billion bags in 2010 333 million more than a year before. In Scotland shoppers used 590 million bags an average of 9.4 per month for every person in the country.
Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “Plastic bags are a scourge on the environment and a blight on our streets, our countryside and our seas. That’s why we are so determined to drastically cut back on their use.
“It’s hugely encouraging that so many people are now taking this issue seriously and over the past five years we have seen a lot of progress in cutting plastic bag use, both by shops and shoppers. We want to phase out the use of free plastic bags in supermarkets, with the continued help of retailers.
“We want Scotland to become a zero-waste society. Our consultation, which takes place this autumn, will look at options for cutting plastic bag use even further and, as we pledged in our election campaign, we will consider legislating on this issue if need be.”
Marks and Spencer already charges customers 5p for each carrier bag, which has led to an 80% reduction in its use of plastic bags over the past three years. Some of the money raised through the scheme is donated to charities.
From October, all stores in Wales will have to charge 5p per bag and Northern Ireland will follow suit soon.
WWF Scotland head of policy Dr Dan Barlow said: “Single-use carrier bags are symbolic of our wasteful attitude to resource use, which must be addressed if Scotland’s vision of a zero waste future is to be realised. Each year in Scotland nearly 600 million carrier bags are used, squandering non-renewable resources, polluting our environment, threatening wildlife and taking decades to break down in landfills.
“Recent data for Scotland reveals a 9% increase in plastic bags use and it is clear that a voluntary approach is not enough. Charging for plastic bags has been highly successful in changing behaviour and cutting use elsewhere. Scotland should quickly follow Northern Ireland and Wales, who are already planning such a charge.
“Green taxes can have a significant role to play in helping to change behaviour well beyond plastic bags. As Scotland moves forward to deliver a low-carbon future a greater role for regulation rather than voluntary action will be required.”
Friends of the Earth Scotland communications officer Per Fischer said: “People in Scotland are willing to reuse bags and Friends of the Earth Scotland supports a ban on single-use plastic bags but plastic bags are only the tip of the iceberg.
“We urgently need to take action to meet Scotland’s ambitious climate targets and we are facing more substantial issues than plastic bags. Scotland needs to invest in the transition to renewable energy, green jobs and public transport.”