Poots moots plastic bag tax in NI

Shoppers in Northern Ireland could soon be charged for plastic bags if supermarkets in the country don’t get their act together to reduce disposable bag use.

Environment Minister Edwin Poots warned that if voluntary measures fail to make a significant impact on plastic bag use then a mandatory tax might be needed, similar to that in the Republic of Ireland

The Irish republic started charging a 15 cent levy on carrier bags in 2002.

Since then, the number of plastic bags used in the country has fallen 90%.

Green campaigners urged Poots to follow the republic’s example and take action now.

Ian Humphreys, chief executive of Tidy Northern Ireland, said the average NI resident uses 150 plastic bags per year.

“Plastic bags are seen as something that is free but we pay for it — we just don’t see the cost attached to it,” Humphreys said.

“It’s madness letting this go on when we see what happened in the Republic.”

Northern Ireland’s ‘bag lady’, Shirley Lewis, who works to reduce plastic bag use in Northern Ireland, said: “I think people are often subconsciously waiting for somebody else to take responsibility – we need to take responsibility now, not wait for three-four years.

“At heart we are quite mean with our pennies and people will want to economise.

“Why is it taking so long to do something so simple?”