England's plastic bag usage drops 85% since 5p charge introduced

England's 5p charge on plastic bags appears to have succeeded in changing consumer behaviour after early figures suggested usage has dropped 85 per cent since it was introduced last October.
The seven major supermarkets handed out just over 500 million plastic carriers in the first six months after the levy was introduced, compared with more than 7 billion in the year before it came into force, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Environment minister