The majority of the British public believes a blanket charging system, whereby all shops and supermarkets charge customers for plastic bags, would be a good idea because of the environment. 64% of British adults say charging for plastic bags is a good idea for environmental reasons while a further four percent believe it would be a good idea for other reasons.
The figures suggest a responsible and positive attitude among the British public towards the environment and a willingness to adapt their shopping habits. An impressive 68% say the charge encourages them to reuse bags, with 40% favouring fabric or alternative bags compared to 28% who reuse plastic bags for shopping on a regular basis. Interestingly, more women are encouraged to use fabric or alternative bags than men. 46% of women say the charges encourage them to use these bags instead of plastic bags, compared to 33% of men.
It seems that supermarkets’ widespread ‘bag-for-life’ schemes, whereby a customer makes a one-time purchase of a strong plastic or fabric shopping bag and can come back to the shop to replace it free of charge once it has worn out, are encouraging bag reuse among the public. 68% of British adults have bought and regularly use a ‘bag-for-life’ bag, with only 15% saying they have bought one but not used it very much.
However, while the substantial majority of the British public thinks the blanket charging system is a good idea, there is still some resistance. 26% believe the system is a bad idea and 17% say that when shops charge for plastic bags they feel ‘a bit fed up or angry’. There is some way to go before some of the public are won over, but the figures do indicate support for the charge among the majority of the British public, and mainly for environmental reasons.
