On 1 October 2011 Wales became the first UK country to introduce a charge for single- use carrier bags.

Northern Ireland followed in 2013 and the requirements of the 5p levy there are similar, but not identical, to the scheme in Wales. Retailers in Northern Ireland are required to pass the proceeds of the levy (£4.1 million in 2013/14) to the Department of the Environment. These funds are used to support community- based environmental projects. To encourage shoppers to reuse their bags, the 5p levy will be extended to reusable bags (retailing at less than 20p) in January 2015.

Retailers in Scotland will be required to charge for carrier bags from 20 October 2014. The charge will be similar to the Welsh scheme both on the scope of the charge and voluntary donations to good causes, but due to the differences between the Climate Change Act 2008 and the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 there are some administrative differences.

The UK Government will introduce a 5p charge in England in the autumn of 2015. The charge will be broadly similar to the Welsh model. However in England it will focus on single-use plastic bags and businesses with fewer than 250 employees will be exempt. The UK Government is developing standards to enable an exemption for biodegradable bags to be introduced at a later date. As is the case in Wales, the UK Government wants and expects retailers to donate the proceeds to good causes.

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