Plastic bag use rising in Britain for first time in a decade due to online shopping

Ocado has reported a huge rise in plastic bag sales over the past year - (Ocado)

The number of plastic bags Brits are using is on the rise for the first time in a decade – and experts say online shopping is to blame.

New data shows that people in England bought 437 million plastic bags in the past year, up 7 per cent from 407 million in 2023/24. It is the first time the number has risen since the government introduced a 5p charge for single-use plastic bags sold by large retailers in 2015. This was increased to 10p after the pandemic.