Carrier Bag Levy NI Consultation

Overview

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs has responsibility for the Single Use Carrier Bags Charge Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013 as amended by Carrier Bags Act (Northern Ireland) 2014.  This legislation is now to be reviewed by the department and we welcome the views of stakeholders and members of the public.  The consultation document provides background information and we would encourage stakeholders and members of the public to engage with this survey to make their views known. The consultation document and associated documents are available to view below. 

Why your views matter

The Department have taken the decision to consult on changes to The Single Use Carrier Bags Charge Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2013 in order to build and enhance the existing legislation and to continue with their programme of continuous improvement within our local environment.  The department are determined to build on the excellent work by members of the public in already delivering some reductions in the the use of carrier bags across Northern Ireland. However, we must and can  do more and in promoting and encouraging the reuse of all carrier bags, we remind everyone to ‘bring their own bag’, thus improving sustainability and saving our natural resources.

The current legislation was introduced in 2013 and has proved effective in reducing the use of carrier bags across Northern Ireland by 73.2% when compared to the baseline figure of 300 million bags in 2012.  Ongoing market scanning coupled with published DAERA validated statistics, clearly show a significant increase in the purchase of thicker heavier carrier bags, the level of which suggests that these are now the new ‘throw away’ bag which are not being reused as originally intended.  Carrier bags need to be reused in order to reduce their environmental impact and we must continue to work hard to deliver a cleaner and greener Northern Ireland which is a better place to live and do business.

What happens next

The responses from this consultation will be collated and used by the Department to formulate future policy in Northern Ireland.