Lifestyle
UK Shoppers Are Paying More Than Ever for Plastic Bags – But Why?
I must have enough money in plastic bags stacked under the stairs to pay for a weekly shop for five. Yes, plastic bags have quietly become one of the most expensive impulse purchases in British supermarkets, a far cry from the mindful 5p environmental nudge when they were first introduced in 2015. If we look closely, the maths simply doesn’t make much sense.
“In 2015 the UK started charging people 5p for plastic carrier bags. Minimum wage in 2015 was £6.70, which means you could buy 134 carrier bags with an hour’s wage. Fast forward to 2026, the minimum wage is £12.71 and carrier bags are now around 40p, meaning an hour’s wage would buy you 31 carrier bags. That’s 103 fewer carrier bags and a 700% increase on the original price. But only an 89% increase in wages. We’re getting robbed in this country,” says comedian Callum Lyon from Pontefract, a historic market town in West Yorkshire, England.
But with the minimum charge now set at 10p, and many retailers charging considerably more for sturdier alternatives, shoppers aren’t seeing the funny side of the increasing prices and are asking why a simple plastic bag costs so much — and where the money actually goes.
The Rise of the Carrier Bag Charge
The UK’s plastic bag charge was first introduced in England on 5 October 2015, requiring large retailers to charge a minimum of 5p for single-use plastic carrier bags. The policy was designed to curb the number of bags being handed out. In 2013, UK supermarkets gave away more than eight billion single-use bags, equivalent to nearly 130 bags per person.
Fast forward to 2026 and retailers of all sizes — large, medium, small, micro and airport retailers — must still charge for bags. It now costs a minimum of 10p for a single-use carrier bag in England. No matter how much you have paid for your overpriced Lurpak, if a commercial establishment hands over a bag for free, it can face penalties of up to £5,000, according to guidance on the government website. Although fines are reduced by 50% if paid within 28 days, and increased by 50% for those who fail to pay within 56 days, retailers understandably choose to comply with the law and charge customers.
Why Plastic Bags Cost More Than the Legal Minimum
While the legal minimum for a single-use plastic bag remains 10p, many supermarkets charge significantly more for thicker “bags for life”. It is a perfectly legal way for supermarkets and other major retailers to use an environmental legislation to make a bit of extra money on the side. These higher-priced bags are not covered by the statutory charge and are sold as commercial products rather than regulated items, resulting in carrier bags costing around £1 in many supermarkets and high street shops.
In the pursuit of profiting from carrier bags, UK supermarkets may have got carried away and the original legislation appears to have been lost in translation, as internet user Colin Waters recently noted.
“Wasn’t the original issue that they were plastic and bad for the environment, so we were being charged for them? So why are we paying for paper bags from shops now?” asks Waters.
Morrisons, the fifth-largest supermarket chain in the United Kingdom, offers paper carrier bags at a cost of 40p each. Those wanting to spend a little more and “save the planet” can choose to pay 60p for a plastic bag or £1.10 for a reusable woven bag in one of the company’s 500 large supermarkets across England, Wales and Scotland, or its 1,600 Morrisons Daily convenience stores.
Some people have come to the defence of supermarkets charging customers for the bags used to carry the items they have just bought. UK author Colin Ward believes the improved quality of modern bags justifies the higher price.
“The 5p bags were just standard bags. The 40p bags are far stronger and last substantially longer. If you are going to compare to make a point, it needs to be like for like,” says Ward.
Where the Plastic Bag Money Actually Goes
“The bag money was supposed to go to charities. Don’t think that happened,” wonders Stephanie Taylor from Glasgow, Scotland.
Like Taylor, many customers paying over the odds for carrier bags ask the same question. However, one of the most common misconceptions is that the government collects the carrier bag charge. In reality, retailers in England, Scotland and Wales are free to use the proceeds as they wish, although they are strongly encouraged to donate them to good causes. As only large retailers employing 250 or more full-time staff are required to record and report the number of single-use carrier bags they sell in England, customers are also unlikely to discover what many shops actually do with the money collected from bag sales.
Large retailers in England must report how many single-use bags they sell each year, but they are not legally required to disclose how the money is spent, either. Many supermarkets voluntarily publish annual figures showing donations to environmental and community projects, but the amounts vary widely. Only Northern Ireland requires the proceeds to be paid directly to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
Has the Plastic Bag Charge Actually Worked?
It is not all doom and gloom, however, and the introduction of carrier bag charges appears to have had a significant impact on shopping habits. Official figures released by the Welsh Government estimate that standard plastic carrier bag use between 2011 and 2014 declined by 70%. Zero Waste Scotland estimated that the seven major grocery retailers in Scotland used around 650 million fewer single-use carrier bags during the first year of the charge. And UK Government data also indicates that England’s seven main retailers issued around 83% fewer bags — more than six billion fewer bags — in 2016-17, the first full year of the scheme, compared with 2014. By 2023-24, the reduction compared with 2014 had reached 98%.
While shoppers may never agree on whether a 40p or £1 carrier bag represents environmental progress or supermarket opportunism, one thing is clear: the humble plastic bag has undergone one of the most remarkable price rises on the British high street. At this rate, those bags piled under the stairs may eventually become a better investment than actual a savings account.
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