The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has published additional guidance for retailers about the upcoming carrier bag charges which comes into force on 5th October this year.
From October, businesses in England who employ 250 or more members of staff will be required to charge customers 5p for every single use carrier bag that they give out and report the number of bags sold annually to DEFRA. Similar systems already apply to retailers in Scotland and Wales. To help retailers prepare for the impending carrier bag charges, DEFRA have written a letter to retailers, including a brief overview of the charge and next steps for retailers, which can be viewed here: http://www.acs.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Defra-Letter-to-retailers.pdf
In the letter, DEFRA announces that they have released promotional materials, including posters and other resources, for retailers to download, print and display in store. Information for retailers about the process of reporting the number of carrier bags given out to customers and declaring what happens to the carrier bag charge proceeds is also contained in the letter and associated links.
Further guidance from DEFRA regarding carrier bag charges in England can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/carrier-bag-charges-retailers-responsibilities
