ACS

ACS has written to the Welsh Assembly Government in opposition to its proposed carrier bag levy. The Assembly wants a compulsory charge to be applied to all single use carrier bags. Under the proposals retailers will be required to keep records of how many bags they collect, how much money they raise from sales and where this money goes and have this information available for spot inspections by Trading Standards.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “There is widespread opposition to the proposed carrier bag levy. It is likely to have a negative impact on impulse purchasing, lead to an increase in shop theft and cost millions in administration costs.

“This is an ill conceived policy which the Welsh Assembly is proposing to bring in as the country is still reeling from the ramifications of the recession.

“Retailers large and small have taken huge strides towards reducing the number of carrier bags that are given away. The Welsh Assembly should be working with retailers rather than increasing the burden of red tape already on them.”

The Welsh Assembly Government is proposing that the policy be brought in at the end of 2010.

Dolwyddelan SPAR Retailer Mike Skerrett said: “The Welsh Assembly haven’t publicised these proposals enough in the retail community which is concerning because it will impact on business so much.

“The administration costs that will come with this policy aren’t justified as the impact on Wales’ carbon footprint as a result is likely to be minimal. When a similar policy was brought in the Republic of Ireland the increase in use of paper bags and bin liners cancelled out any benefits of reduced plastic bag use.”

Contacts:

Shane Brennan Public Affairs Director
01252 515001/ 07921 372 978

Nina Collins Communications Coordinator
01252 515001

Notes to Editors:

1. ACS (Association of Convenience Stores) is the voice of local shops, representing over 33,500 convenience stores. ACS helps local shops thrive through lobbying, support and networking opportunities.

2. The Welsh Assembly is currently consulting on the proposed charge on single use carrier bag. Its consultation closes on Monday 21st September. For more information please see: http://wales.gov.uk/consultations/environmentandcountryside/singleusecarrierbags/?lang=en

3. The Welsh Assembly are proposing the following:
- That the charge for a bag should be somewhere between 5-15p (it is not yet know if this would be liable to VAT)
- That funds raised from the charge should go to a third party body to be spent on environmental projects in Wales
- That the policy would be enforced through Trading Standards

4. ACS submission in response to this consultation can be found here: http://www.acs.org.uk/en/lobbying/issues/environment/