Q. Do I have to charge for single-use carrier bags?
A. From 21st May 2021 retailers of any size in England will be required to charge a minimum of 10 pence (including VAT) per single-use carrier bag where goods are sold to a customer in England, and you could be fined if you do not charge your customers. Local authorities will make inspections, which may be as a 'secret shopper', to check that the law is being followed.
As a retailer you must charge for:
- Non-resusable bags (single-use plastic carrierbags)
- Bags used for collections and deliveries
You are not required to charge for bags for prescription medicines, however you must charge if goods are sold and these items are then added to the bag you must then collect a charge for the carrier bag.
Only large retailers (employing 250 or more full-time equivalent employees) are required to record and report the number of single-use carrier bags they sell in England. These large retailers must keep a reporting year's records for a minimum of 3 years from 31st May of the following year.
For further details on single-use carrier bag charges see:
Carrier bag charges: retailers' responsibilites
Although small and medium businesses are not required to submit records they have the opportunity to voluntarily submit records.