Shoppers seem to be choosing plastic bags over environmental issues, despite a Government-backed campaign to cut their use.
Latest statistics show more shoppers are packing their supermarket purchases into one-use only bags, according to official figures, with around 6.4 billion carrier bags used last year – up on the 6.1 billion of the previous period and going against the trend which has seen a steady fall since 2006.
The 5% rise is disappointing to conservationists.
“It seems like a backward step for the campaign and that is a great shame,” said Phil Knowling, of the conservation charity Living Coasts .
Recycling Minister Lord Henley suggested legislation might be necessary if shops did not cut back on the numbers of single-use bags given out.
“This isn’t good enough,” he said.
“Retailers need to take responsibility and lift their game to cut down on the number of single use carrier bags they hand out.
“If results do not improve we will consider additional measures to make this happen, including legislation.”
But the figures, released by the Government’s waste body Wrap , were termed “encouraging” by the British Retail Consortium (BRC).
“Despite the rise in bag use over the past year, it’s still down 40% overall since 2006 when around 10.7 billion were used,” a spokesman told Sky News Online.
“The rise could be put down to a number of things, including a change in shopping habits – for example more visits to smaller convenience stores.
“It may also be that shoppers are less focused on environmental issues at this moment, because they have other concerns,” he added.
Earlier, Bob Gordon, the consortium’s environment chief, said: “Retailers, working with consumers, will continue to do all they can to drive down the number of carrier bags being given out wherever possible but it’s time to accept bags are not the be-all and end-all of environmental issues.”
He said retailers are now pursuing “much more significant” environmental issues such as energy use, waste and the impact of the products people buy.
“An obsession with carrier bags must not get in the way of these bigger green goals,” he said.
