Plastic Bag Tax ‘May Create More Waste’ Paper Bag Tax Also Required for Environmental Benefits

INTRODUCING a plastic bag tax that increases the use of paper bags at supermarkets could actually raise the amount of waste in landfill sites by over 5000 tonnes a year.

The claim, made in a major report into the impact of a proposed 10p per plastic bag levy, is set to ignite a debate on whether such a tax is advisable – and whether it should be extended to include paper bags.

The Extended Impact Assessment report, commissioned by the Scottish Executive and due for publication tomorrow, examined the effect of such a tax on five key areas: the environment, consumers, business, waste and local authorities.

It reveals that the greatest environmental benefits are harnessed when the levy is applied to paper bags as well as plastic bags – as paper bags have a higher environmental impact in key areas and their use is likely to increase if plastic bags are taxed.

The report predicts paper bag usage will increase from 174 million bags per year to 213 million, if the plastic bag levy is introduced, leaving a trail of “associated environmental implications in terms of increased energy use, transport costs, storage space and waste disposal”.

Paper bags that degrade at landfill sites create methane and carbon dioxide, which add to global warming. But the report states that even if the levy was extended to both plastic and paper bags, the overall environmental benefits would be modest when compared to the environmental impacts of other activities.

Furthermore, it concludes that a tax only on plastic bags will cost consumers as much as GBP10 per year as supermarkets pass on the increased expense of supplying paper bags to their customers. However, if paper bags are also taxed this cost falls to as little as GBP2.50, as consumers switch to more longlasting “bag-for-life” options.

Other key findings include a predicted loss of between 300 and 700 jobs in the plastics industry, with a possible knock-on effect to the 12,000 employed in the wider plastic films sector in the UK.

The report was ordered in response to the private member’s bill on a plastic bag tax, which was put forward in June by LibDem MSP Mike Pringle, who had seen the “success” of a similar tax in Ireland.

He told the Sunday Herald: “I expected the report to have some negative comments about the idea of a levy on plastic bags, but the key thing it has not included is the emphasis that would be put on recycling. I fully expect that a large number of people would choose to recycle the paper bags they get. Even more would not use paper bags and choose to get a bag for life.”

Pringle also disputed the job-loss predictions. “I find the guesstimate of job losses a little strange – I would not like anyone to lose their living over this bill, but I find the figures questionable. I’ve had far more positive than negative feedback about the bill, ” he said.

Pringle’s bill suggests that local authorities are made responsible for collecting the revenue from the levy from some 52,690 retailers in Scotland and channelling it into local environmental projects. The report found that there would be significant setup costs for councils to start a collection scheme, but in a “best case” scenario, millions of pounds could ultimately be available for local schemes.

Fiona Moriarty, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, warned that small retailers will face a bill of “around GBP600″ should the tax be introduced.

“Shopkeepers will have to find a way to make monthly returns to 32 local authorities in Scotland, invest in training for that, and change their suppliers. The environmental impact of taxing plastic bags does not seem to make a huge difference, while the costs to retailers will be significant, ” she said.

At present, each Scot uses 153 plastic bags, 38 paper bags and two multi-use bags a year.

Dan Barlow of Friends Of The Earth Scotland said he believes shoppers can change their behaviour and would do so if a tax was introduced. “From our point of view, a levy will cut the amount of plastic waste – the report does highlight an increase in paper waste, should shoppers turn to paper bags, but this provides huge scope for people to change their behaviour in a throw-away culture, ” he said.

Barlow applauded the moves to bring in a levy. “The report suggests that there would be a five-fold increase in the amount of paper use, but that is unrealistic – people will recycle paper, not leave it to landfill.”

Peter Woodall from the Carrier Bags Consortium said the report showed little environmental gains for Scotland.

“As an industry of course we are concerned about job losses, but we do already recycle 300,000 tonnes of plastic a year, ” he said.

“This proposal is not based on good science, and would lead to more material in landfill, more greenhouse gases and a more expensive way to shop.”

jenifer. johnston@sundayherald. com