in Use Of Plastic Bags!

Getting to grips with tear-free sturdy paper

- Steph Spyro

THE Daily Express is joining the war on plastics today by backing calls for a total ban on bags made from it to help save the planet.

Campaigners want retailers to phase out all single-use carriers and bags for life, and instead offer only reusable ones.

It comes as the charge for single-use carrier bags will double from 5p to 10p today to drive down sales.

The Daily Express Green Britain Needs You crusade is supporting calls for customers to be offered compostable or sustainable paper carriers which help protect the environment.

City to Sea, a not-for-profit group that campaigns to stop plastic pollution, is backing the campaign.

Its chief executive and founder Natalie Fee said: “Single-use plastic bags are costing our environment and shoppers more and more.

“If countries like Rwanda have banned plastic bags so can we. Reusable bags are practical, economic and carry a fraction of the environmental impact single-use plastic bags do.

But the Tax Payers’ Alliance warned the levy increase will cost consumers £1.03billion over the next decade, adding around £45 to the cost of living for each household.

The 5p charge, which has seen a 95 per cent cut in single-use sales in major supermarkets since 2015, will also be extended to all businesses in England, including smaller retailers.

Campaigners claim this drop is “misleading” as sales of bags for life sales have skyrocketed.