The debate over charging for plastic bags has been simmering away in the background for a few years, but with legislation coming ever closer, and many retailers already charging for bags and giving the funds to charity, we ask what the best option is.
Mani Dhesi
Day-Today retailer, Glasgow
At the moment, until legislation is brought in, we won’t charge for bags. If we said to our regulars they had to pay for a bag I’d be worried they wouldn’t come back. They would be polite, but they might be offended. That’s my worry.
We always encourage customers to recycle bags though – and not just from here. We take in bags from anywhere, even Asda, and we’ll hand them out. We started that two years ago and we’ve halved the amount of bags we need to buy for customers.
Dennis Williams
Premier retailer, Edinburgh
We’ve charged 5p for a plastic bag for the last two or three years. All the money we make from them we save up and donate to local groups – like the local school, or a dance club. They can get a fairly substantial cheque, so it makes it worthwhile. Since we’ve been doing it consumption of bags has dropped, though there are plenty of customers who don’t mind paying the 5p, and we also sell a better quality bag that comes from Booker and retails for 15p.
Lynn Boyd
Spar retailer, Ayr
Last year between the six Spar company owned stores in Ayr and Prestwick we raised £7,500 for Ayr Hospice by charging 2p for a plastic bag. We’ve been doing it for years now and almost all customers don’t mind paying. You don’t get the odd whinge, but that’s to be expected. A different charity is nominated every year and we put a poster up at the till then update it every month to tell customers how much the store has raised. Some customers recycle their bags too, so the system works well.
Graeme Knowles
Nisa retailer, Aberdeen
We charge 3p for a plastic bag a plastic bag and have done for the last four years. Any money we make from them has been given to the local school. It must be over £8,000 we’ve handed over now. The charge does exactly what it needs to. It more than halved the number of bags we hand over, and it makes money for charity. So many people are used to carrying recycled bags now. If it is legislated on then I wouldn’t want to see it as a tax. It can’t become a money maker, it should be given to charity.
