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Trosmisiek
UK News

Christian charity supports bag charge

Scotland has joined Wales and Northern Ireland in making shoppers pay five pence per bag.

The charge applies regardless of whether the bags are made from paper, plastic or a biodegradable material.

MSPs overwhelmingly backed the move after figures showed that Scottish councils pick up an estimated 7.4 million bags a year.

Wales brought in a charge in 2011 and Northern Ireland followed suit last year.

Andy Lester from Christian environmental charity A Rocha UK told Premier's News Hour he thinks England will follow.

He said: "It will happen. If you look at some of the suppliers who are really excited about this, like McDonalds, Marks and Spencer and the Co-operative Group, they will be applying pressure to the English Parliament to say you need to do the same.

"It seems ludicrous that the rest of the UK is now joining forces and cutting out carrier bags, but I suspect that Westminster will be aware of that and adjust accordingly by the next election."

Most stores are pledging to give the money raised to charity.

Figures show that the charges introduced in Wales and Northern Ireland saw drops in new bag use of around 80% and 70%, respectively, environmental groups said.

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