Carrier bag tax raises £37m for NI environmental projects

The carrier bag levy scheme in Northern Ireland has raised £37m in the last nine years for environmental projects, according to a Stormont department.

The figure was obtained by BBC News NI as the tax on carrier bags increased from 5p to 25p.

The charge applies to all bags priced at £5 or under, regardless of what material from which they are made.

All proceeds go back to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).

The 5p levy was first introduced in 2013 in a bid to reduce the number of single-use plastic bags

The latest increase, which came into affect on Friday, was announced back in November.

A spokesman from Daera told BBC News NI: "Since going live in 2013, the £37m proceeds of the levy that have been raised have been reinvested to support the wider Northern Ireland environmental sector, everything from birds to bees, water and land, also protecting our countryside and natural heritage.

"Any proceeds from the increase in the levy will remain with Daera where they will continue to be used to enhance and improve our environment and deliver a Northern Ireland which is both cleaner and greener and a better place to live and do business."

However, with many retailers already charging 20p for bags before the increase, the department said "this may lead to a decrease in the revenue coming into the department" as consumers could reuse their existing bags more often and purchase fewer new ones.

Both England and Scotland increased carrier bag charges to 10p last year.

Retail NI said it argued for the 5p levy to be increased to a "more realistic figure of 10p" in line with England and Scotland.

Chief executive Glyn Roberts said he supports the objective to reduce the level of plastic in circulation, as well cutting down litter on the streets.

But he said the 25p increase would "disproportionally impact" working families who are "struggling with the cost of living crisis".

Mr Roberts urged the department to keep the policy under review.

"Successive environment and Daera ministers have never consulted local retailers on how the proceeds of the levy is spent.

"We want to empower our members to make the decisions themselves on how best to spend the levy which they collect."

One of the ways in which the proceeds of the levy is used is Daera's Environment Fund which began in 2019.

It enables not-for-profit organisations and councils to deliver key environmental projects that focus on the likes of "habitat restoration, species monitoring, enhancement of understanding and appreciation of the environment and outdoor recreation movement".

In February, £2.9m in funding for 22 projects was announced across the region through the initiative.

This was on top of almost £19m already offered to projects.

Some of the money went towards the Mourne Heritage Trust and the National Trust in the Mourne Mountains to restore and maintain path networks, support visitors and to enable the recovery of heathland habitat following severe gorse fires last year.