Last weekend for free plastic bags
This is the last weekend of free plastic bags, shoppers have been warned.
From Monday, a Government order will force all outlets to charge their customers €15c for each bag they use to pack and take home their purchases.
The move is being made on environmental grounds in a bid to end the unsightly scourge of windblown discarded bags that litter the countryside.
Environment Minister Noel Dempsey, who has led the Government bid to reduce the visibility of plastic waste, today said the levy was expected to dramatically reduce the nuisance - and what he called ‘‘our insatiable use of free plastic bags’’.
Information about the ‘‘plastax’’ has been relayed to the public through a TV advertising and billboard campaign and on the website www.10steps.ie.
The Revenue Commissioners, who will be responsible for the collection of the revenue from retailers, issued separate information details outlining the obligations of shops and stores.
The cash raised will go toward schemes aimed at improving the environment nationwide.
Tesco Ireland said they welcomed the government initiative.
A spokesman said the company is handing out 220 million bags to customers in Ireland each year. Their estimate was that the number would be reduced by at least 40% in the first year.
Tesco Ireland’s environmental manager, Jim Dwyer, added ‘‘Customers are telling us they broadly welcome the introduction of the levy.
"We have seen a marked change in customers’ behaviour in anticipation of the new levy, reflected in the significant increase in sales of our re-usable bags.’’
