Plastic bag charge is ruled out

People could be charged for plastic bags in all shops

The Environment Minister Edwin Poots appears to have ruled out the introduction of a levy on plastic bags in shops in Northern Ireland.

Earlier this year he said he would consider a levy if voluntary schemes to reduce bag usage were not working.

On Monday he told the assembly a levy would be too detrimental to the less well off.

A levy introduced in the Republic of Ireland in 2002 has seen a 90% fall in the number of bags being used.

Major retailers have already used a variety of schemes to cut bag usage.

ASDA will only hand out bags on request while Tesco and Sainsbury reward their customers who do not use plastic bags with loyalty or clubcard points.

Ikea and Marks and Spencer charge for bags.

Voluntary

Last week the environment minister in Wales announced that charges for plastic bags will be introduced there before May 2011.

The charge for single-use bags has not yet been decided, but it is expected to be between 5p and 15p.

Wales will become the first nation in the UK to introduce charging for one-trip carrier bags to curb their use.

Environment Minister Jane Davidson said she would seek voluntary agreements with large retailers to direct the proceeds to environmental causes.