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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| M&S to charge 5p for carrier bags | M&S to charge 5p for carrier bags |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Marks and Spencer is to begin charging its food shoppers for carrier bags. | Marks and Spencer is to begin charging its food shoppers for carrier bags. |
| Customers will have to pay 5p for plastic bags, with the money raised going to an environmental charity. | Customers will have to pay 5p for plastic bags, with the money raised going to an environmental charity. |
| Chief executive Sir Stuart Rose said the company wanted to "make it easy for our customers to do their bit to help the environment". | Chief executive Sir Stuart Rose said the company wanted to "make it easy for our customers to do their bit to help the environment". |
| Campaigners say plastic bags damage the environment. Some 13bn are given free to UK shoppers every year, and they take an estimated 1,000 years to decay. | Campaigners say plastic bags damage the environment. Some 13bn are given free to UK shoppers every year, and they take an estimated 1,000 years to decay. |
| The move by Marks and Spencer follows a trial at 50 of its stores in Northern Ireland and the South West of England, which resulted in demand for polythene bags falling by more than 70%. | The move by Marks and Spencer follows a trial at 50 of its stores in Northern Ireland and the South West of England, which resulted in demand for polythene bags falling by more than 70%. |
| Not only will this scheme reduce the amount of food carrier bags sent to landfill sites but it will also help improve the quality of life in towns and cities across the country Tony Hawkhead, Groundwork In defence of plastic bags | Not only will this scheme reduce the amount of food carrier bags sent to landfill sites but it will also help improve the quality of life in towns and cities across the country Tony Hawkhead, Groundwork In defence of plastic bags |
| Sir Stuart said that if that figure was replicated across the country, the move could reduce the number of bags used by 280m each year. | Sir Stuart said that if that figure was replicated across the country, the move could reduce the number of bags used by 280m each year. |
| "On top of this, our customers will be raising valuable funds to go to our partner charity, Groundwork, to invest in much-needed green spaces in our neighbourhoods. | "On top of this, our customers will be raising valuable funds to go to our partner charity, Groundwork, to invest in much-needed green spaces in our neighbourhoods. |
| "We've got a very ambitious plan, our Plan A as we call it. One of the five pillars of that plan is to send no waste to landfill by 2012. | "We've got a very ambitious plan, our Plan A as we call it. One of the five pillars of that plan is to send no waste to landfill by 2012. |
| "That's an extraordinarily hard thing to achieve and we have to move downward in terms of our usage." | "That's an extraordinarily hard thing to achieve and we have to move downward in terms of our usage." |
| Packaging issues | |
| He described the charge on food bags, and not all of Marks and Spencer's plastic bags, as a "first step". | |
| He said: "The biggest usage of bags in our business, by a huge amount, is plastic bags in food. | He said: "The biggest usage of bags in our business, by a huge amount, is plastic bags in food. |
| "I think you'll find that if we move in this direction this time, it's only a matter of time before we move on." | "I think you'll find that if we move in this direction this time, it's only a matter of time before we move on." |
| According to the Local Government association, Marks and Spencer has the heaviest food packaging and only 60% of it is recyclable. | |
| Sir Stuart Rose says M&S has a plan to reduce its packaging | |
| But Sir Stuart told BBC Breakfast that 90% of the company's packaging would be recyclable if local authorities "could get their act together and all have the same organisational structure in terms of what you can recycle". | |
| Sir Stuart went on to defend his company's packaging policies, which include apples wrapped in plastic on a polystyrene base. | |
| "We put food in packaging for two reasons. One is for bio security. The second is that [customers] want it in good condition when it arrives. | |
| "We do need to reduce packaging. We are going to reduce packaging by 20% over the next three years, in foods, and then improve our ability to recycle it." | |
| Landfill reductions | |
| Groundwork chief executive Tony Hawkhead said: "We all want our neighbourhoods to be cleaner and greener, and our experience shows that when a major household name takes the initiative, it can encourage millions of people to change their behaviour. | Groundwork chief executive Tony Hawkhead said: "We all want our neighbourhoods to be cleaner and greener, and our experience shows that when a major household name takes the initiative, it can encourage millions of people to change their behaviour. |
| "Not only will this scheme reduce the amount of food carrier bags sent to landfill sites, but it will also help improve the quality of life in towns and cities across the country." | "Not only will this scheme reduce the amount of food carrier bags sent to landfill sites, but it will also help improve the quality of life in towns and cities across the country." |
| Ireland introduced a tax on plastic bags in 2002, which currently stands at 15p and led to a reduction in their use - but, according to the British Retail Consortium, sales of bin liners across the country subsequently rose. | Ireland introduced a tax on plastic bags in 2002, which currently stands at 15p and led to a reduction in their use - but, according to the British Retail Consortium, sales of bin liners across the country subsequently rose. |
| Supermarket Tesco used 3bn plastic bags last year. It does not charge for them, instead offering bonuses such as extra clubcard points if they re-use bags. | Supermarket Tesco used 3bn plastic bags last year. It does not charge for them, instead offering bonuses such as extra clubcard points if they re-use bags. |
| All food customers at Marks and Spencer will get free long-lasting bags from early April for one month. The 5p charge will then begin on 6 May. | All food customers at Marks and Spencer will get free long-lasting bags from early April for one month. The 5p charge will then begin on 6 May. |