THE PLASTIC BAG levy has led to a 90 per cent fall in the use of plastic bags and raised more than €173 million for the Exchequer in Ireland – and now Northern Ireland wants to follow suit.

Environment Minister Alex Attwood has announced that a five pence tax will be placed on single-use carrier bags from April next year.

Introduced in Ireland in 2002 at a charge of 15cent, it is surprising that this will be first levy on carrier bags in the North.

The levy in Northern Ireland will start at 5p but will increase to 10 pence in April 2014. Attwood said the lower charge in 2013 is to allow consumers to adjust to the concept.

Multi-use bags will be levied at 10p from April 2014.

“There is no doubt that carrier bags are a scourge on the environment. Evidence from other countries demonstrates that a bag levy is a simple and effective means to reduce substantially the negative environmental impact of carrier bag consumption,” Attwood said in a statement.

Ireland’s levy is now 22cent per bag, while a similar tax in Wales is 5p.