Plastic bag charge in Scotland sees usage cut by 80%

This is an automatic summary, original reduced by 46%.

The number of plastic bags handed out in stores was slashed by 80% - the equivalent of 650 million carriers - in the first year of Scotland's 5p charge.

Scotland's Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead hailed the 5p charge a "Major success", and thanked Scotland for "Embracing the policy".

"He added:"Previously, statistics showed that people in Scotland used more than 800 million new single-use carrier bags every single year - more per head than anywhere else in the UK. "It's now becoming second nature to shoppers to reuse their carrier bags and hopefully to think more about our impact on the environment."

Morrisons, the Co-operative, Waitrose and Boots have all reported an estimated 80% reduction in carrier bag use, with Asda witnessing a drop of 90% and Sainsbury's 100% as it no longer offers them to shoppers.

That is the equivalent of more than 500 million single-use carrier bags once it is offset by estimated increases in other forms of plastic bag, such as bags for life.

"He added:"Before the charge Scotland consumed a staggering 800 million carrier bags every year, many of which ended up polluting our environment and threatening wildlife.

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