Salons exempted from new 5p charge on carrier bags, says NHBF

More than 8 billion disposable carrier bags are used in England each year. According to environmentalists that’s 130 bags per person – yet on average each one is used for just 20 minutes, although they take 1000 years to degrade.

To reduce waste, a new 5p charge comes into effect in England on 5 October 2015, bringing English retailers into line with Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. After the 5p charge was introduced in Wales in 2011, carrier bag use went down by 75%.

The key difference is that in Wales the 5p charge applies to all businesses, but in England the carrier bag charges will only apply to supermarkets and large businesses. Small and medium sized businesses with fewer than 250 employees will be exempt, although they can impose a voluntary charge.

This is good news for all but the very largest salons. But as Hilary Hall, Chief Executive of the National Hairdressers’ Federation said,

Exempting small businesses makes it very confusing for consumers who will be charged in one shop, but not in another. Surely the point is to get consumers away from using bags altogether. We’d like to see the same system operating in England as it already does in Wales but with less paperwork.”

Former NHBF president Mark Coray, who runs a salon in Cardiff, said: “Bag usage in Wales has reduced massively, which has obvious environmental benefits. The money raised goes to charities which is also great news. But reporting requirements, collecting and counting up all the 5ps can be time-consuming.”