5p charge for plastic bags

[Paddypix]

It works here in Northern Ireland where it's been in force for a couple of years. I think it was piloted in the Republic and was found to work. I have five or six heavy duty bags which we got in a supermarket in Spain. There they charged 60 cents for them and now I keep a couple in my suitcase. I kept forgetting to carry one when I was going out and about in Spain and ended up with so many of them that I brought them home and now they stay in the boot of the car for our weekly shop. M&S here don't give free bags even with clothes so I carry one of the little fold away ones in my handbag. I do miss the flimsy supermarket bags for lining the rubbish bin but we manage without them. We don't often see supermarket bags flapping away in the trees any more and that alone makes it worthwhile.