Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for the Environment and Sustainability, Mick Bates, has welcomed the announcement by the Minister Jane Davidson that the Assembly Government will launch a consultation on a levy for plastic bags in June.
The Climate Change Act 2008 gives the Assembly Minister for Sustainability the power to force supermarkets to charge a levy. This change originated from a petition presented to the Assembly and a subsequent Committee report. Mick Bates, who has worked hard for this reform was overjoyed:
“We need to tackle the causes of waste from the very onset in order to minimise waste from the very start. A levy on plastic bags would encourage people to recycle their carrier bags or find alternatives in order to avoid paying the levy, thereby reducing the number of bags that would need to be produced each year.
“It is estimated that we use 490 million plastic bags in Wales each year and many of these go into landfill to leave a vast legacy for many generations to come. Plastic bags take hundreds of years to break down in the environment. They are a danger to wildlife, particularly marine animals. They also block drains, leading to an increased risk of flooding.
“A plastic bag levy would lead to a reduction in the number of plastic bags used and would act as a catalyst to increase public awareness of litter and environmental issues generally. The big question for the Minister is how she will get the power to nominate who uses the money raised by the levy, to ensure that it is re-distributed for the benefit of the environment.”
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