Single-use plastic bag sales down 95% in Britain since charge brought in

Plastic bag charge

The number of single-use plastic bags distributed by the big supermarkets in England has fallen more than 95% since a 5p charge was introduced in 2015, figures show.

Data from the Environment Department (Defra) shows the main retailers sold 226 million single-use bags in the past financial year, 322 million fewer than in 2018/19.