Individual retailers decide where to send their carrier bag proceeds
All single-use carrier bags now cost a minimum of 5p in Wales
On October 1st, the Welsh Government implemented a compulsory carrier bag charge. The expected £2-3 million raised in the first year will go to supporting local and/or environmental causes.
While a Welsh Government spokesperson promises that, “No money from the charge will come to government,” the official carrier bag charge website states that, “We can’t tell retailers what to do with the money.”
It is up to the consumers to help ensure that the proceeds do indeed go to good causes. The spokesperson explains that enforcement will be “largely driven by complaints that retailers are not complying with the requirements of the legislation.”
Therefore, if you want to know what exactly you are supporting with your 5p, you will have to ask in-store.