Plastic bag use down almost 80% after supermarket charge, says Tesco

The supermarket claim they will raise £30m for charity over the next year

Since the introduction of the 5p plastic bag charge shoppers are using nearly 80 per cent fewer bags, according to Tesco.

Early figures from Tesco suggest the charge is drastically reducing the number of plastic bags being given out, with the supermarket suggesting that Tesco customers are using 78 per cent fewer bags than before the charge was implemented on 5 October.

The money raised from the sale of plastic bags will be given to good causes, with the Telegraph reporting that Tesco anticipates to raise more than £30 million for charity over the next 12 months.

Environment minister Rory Stewart told the Telegraph: “The 5p plastic bag charge is starting to have a real impact and is raising thousands for good causes.

“Cutting the number of plastic bags we use is a small but vital step in reducing plastic waste.”

The number of carrier bags given out by the seven major supermarkets in England rose to 7.6 billion last year.

The 5p charge on plastic bags has been implemented since 2011 in Wales, and over the last four years the country has seen a 71 per cent drop in the use of plastic carriers.