Plastic bag use grows for fifth year in a row

James Phillips
clock

England sees single-use carrier bag supplies increase, ahead of the introduction of a five pence charge in October

Plastic bag use is continuing to expand, according to new data from waste advisory charity WRAP that reveals 8.5 billion single-use carrier bags were handed out by UK supermarkets last year. The data...

To continue reading this article...

Join BusinessGreen

In just a few clicks you can start your free BusinessGreen Lite membership for 12 months, providing you access to:

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis, and opinion from Europe’s leading source of information on the Green economy and business
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our daily news alert
  • Our weekly newsletter with the best of the week’s green business news and analysis

Join now

 

Already a BusinessGreen member?

Login

More on Waste

'Real reductions': Global Food Pact Network confirms it has slashed food waste and emissions

'Real reductions': Global Food Pact Network confirms it has slashed food waste and emissions

Network of national campaigns reveals it has avoided 220,000 tonnes of food waste, but warns more business and government support is needed to meet global goals

James Murray
clock 07 November 2025 • 3 min read
Plastic pollution: Most companies lack targets to boost recycled packaging content

Plastic pollution: Most companies lack targets to boost recycled packaging content

New study links poor packaging practices to litigation, regulatory costs, and share price risks, particularly in the FMCG sector

Stuart Stone
clock 16 October 2025 • 4 min read
How the Great Bubble Barrier is intercepting river plastic before it reaches the ocean

How the Great Bubble Barrier is intercepting river plastic before it reaches the ocean

Philip Ehrhorn, co-founder and chief technology officer at The Great Bubble Barrier, discusses how the technology stops plastics from entering oceans

Stuart Stone
clock 29 September 2025 • 4 min read