New publications
Scots will have to pay a surcharge for using plastic bags
Last reviewed: 02.07.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
In the middle of the last century, various rope, cloth, etc. bags were replaced by polyethylene bags. Plastic bags, which appeared in the United States of America in 1957, quickly gained popularity all over the world.
Nowadays, a plastic bag is the most popular household item, and no store can do without it.
However, convenient and practical plastic bags as a source of inexhaustible garbage today pose a threat to all living things on earth. The decomposition period of a plastic bag is about a hundred years, as a result, irreparable harm is caused to the environment.
Many countries understand the danger of the situation and are already taking practical measures to solve this problem. For example, about 40 countries have already adopted laws that prohibit the use of plastic bags. Some countries have deliberately introduced high prices for such bags. In Scotland, local authorities will introduce a special fee from October 2014, which will be levied on each plastic bag. The law was adopted almost unanimously in parliament, and from October, Scots will have to pay 5 pence for each bag. All funds received from plastic bags will go to charity. Environment Secretary in Scotland Richard Lochhead noted the importance of the vote held in the country's parliament for the environment. He also emphasized that all the money received will be directed exclusively to good deeds, in particular, to the implementation of other environmental projects. The secretary also said that the fee received in this way for the use of plastic bags should not be considered a tax. This decision of the parliament shows how seriously Scotland takes the current pressing problems of environmental pollution, garbage and waste reduction.
Such measures are necessary to reduce the amount of plastic waste in the country (currently such bags are given out completely free of charge in shops). Every year 750 million single-use bags are given out in shops in Scotland. Similar laws already exist in Wales (in 2010) and Northern Ireland (in 2013), which led to a sharp decrease in the use of plastic bags for carrying shopping. After the new law comes into force in Scotland, the only part of the UK where plastic bags will remain freely available to consumers will be England, but not for long. Local authorities in England have announced that in 2015 they also plan to introduce a law introducing a similar charge for the use of plastic containers for shopping.
In addition, the European Union also plans to introduce restrictions on the free use of plastic bags. The legislative body is considering various options for restrictive measures that may be suitable for all states that are part of the European Union. Among the proposed options are direct bans on the sale of plastic bags, various incentives for the use of paper and other environmentally friendly containers, and targeted fees.
[ 1 ]