Bid to make supermarkets charge 10p for carrier bags

London councils want supermarkets in the capital to either be banned from giving out plastic carrier bags or charge customers 10p a bag.

Thirty-three London boroughs set out the proposal in a Bill, which will go before MPs in the autumn. The group, called London Councils, says the money generated by a tax could be used to fund recycling schemes for residents.

Five years ago, a similar policy was introduced in Ireland, when a 10p tax on plastic bags resulted in a 90 per cent reduction of their use within months. Merrick Cockell, Conservative leader of London Councils, said: "While many people, from individuals to retailers, are making their contributions to lessen the damage we cause to the environment, London's local authorities have decided to take leadership of the issue."

The group said Britons use 13 billion carrier bags a year, although the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs gives a more cautious estimate of 10 billion, or 167 bags per person. Only one in 200 bags is recycled, London Councils said.

The plan is thought to be fuelled in part by the councils' concerns over fines they face for surpassing their quotas for rubbish sent to landfill sites.

The penalty, due to be introduced in 2010, will be a £150 fine for every tonne of rubbish sent to a landfill that passes the limit.

A spokesman for Tesco said that it would be better to provide incentives to customers to use fewer bags, and a Waitrose spokesman said the supermarket had signed an agreement to reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags by 25 per cent by 2008.