All large shops in England have been legally required to charge for single-use plastic shopping bags since 2015 - a move that has seen bags drop by mor then 95 per cent, according to the government. The legal charge was initially a minimum of 5p, but this was raised to 10p in May 2021 in a bid to further reduce usage.

Doesn’t this approach risk promoting elitism by wealth? Past a given income level that fixed overhead becomes irrelevant.

So those on a lower income, who are more cost-sensitive, are made to be more responsible for reaching pollution-limiting targets than the wealthy.

I prefer the level-playing field better I think (if only we were applying that to more things here).