Irish plastic bag tax set to rise

The tax has remained at 15 euro cents per bag

Ireland is set to increase its plastic bag tax in an effort to stem its waning impact.

The country was the first in the world to introduce a so-called "plastax".

The 2002 move led to a drop from 328 plastic bags used per head to just 21 and raised millions of euros in revenue for the Irish exchequer.

The tax has remained at 15 cents per bag, but will increase to 22 cents from July. The extra money is put into various environmental projects.

Irish Environment Minister Dick Roche said the "plastax" had dramatically cut the estimated 1.2bn free plastic bags that had been given out by shops.

"This had an immediate benefit to our environment -- with a decrease in excess of 95 percent in plastic bag litter," he said in Dublin on Wednesday.

"Surveys indicated that up to 90% of shoppers used long-life bags in 2003, compared with 36% in 1999."

However, the minister said government data indicated the number of plastic bag usage increased to 30 bags per head in 2006.

"We need to ensure that the success story continues into the future.

"There has been no increase in the levy since its inception and I am anxious to ensure that its impact is not diminished."