Bag tax to reduce wastage

The rumoured tax on supermarket shopping bags is now likely to become a reality.

A report to the government on Ireland's recent experiment is thought o suggest a levy of up to 10p a bag. And this is expected to be among the first of the environmental policies brought forward by Michael Meacher when he returns from the Earth Summit.

The tax on bags in Ireland has reduced the number of bags used by more than 90 per cent since March, when the number of bags used has fallen from approximately 300 million to 23 million. Many Irish shoppers now keep their bags to reuse, whereas in the UK only one in every 200 plastic bags is recycled.

An interim report suggests almost one billion plastic bags will be saved a year as a result of the proposed tax.