From Monday 5 October shoppers in England will face a charge of at least 5 pounds for some of the carrier bags they use to take home their purchases. The move follows the introduction of similar charges in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The charge applies to"single-use"bags -- the thin plastic ones you typically get in the supermarket. The legislation says that for the charge to apply the bag must be unused, plastic, have handles and be 70 microns   thick or less. Bags for life are thicker and larger, so retailers do not have to charge for them. However, whether you get charged also depends on what gets put in the bag. Shops don't have to charge for bags used for unwrapped food, raw meat and fish, prescription medicines, uncovered knives, seeds, bulbs and flowers, or live fish. However, if other items are put in the same bag, the charge kicks in. The government is hoping to persuade shoppers to reuse bags rather than take new single-use plastic bags home from each shopping trip. In 2014, more than 7.6 billion bags were given out by the major supermarkets in England -- the equivalent of around 140 bags per person. The bags take a long time to degrade  , cause litter and are dangerous to wildlife. By introducing a charge, the government hopes to reduce the number of these bags used in supermarkets by up to 80%. Will all shops charge? They do not have to. The legislation applies to all types of shop -- from clothes shops to grocers, but only to retailers with 250 or more employees. However, some smaller shops have indicated that they will introduce a charge at the same time. Shops in airports and retailers selling on trains, aeroplanes or ships also do not have to charge. Retailers have been told to charge at least 5 pounds for single-use bags. It looks like the major grocers will go for 5 pounds on the nose. The charge of self-service machines will still apply. You will be asked how many bags you have used, and charged accordingly. What will happen to the money? Retailers are expected to give the money to good causes, but it is up to them to decide. They must report what they do to the government, which will publish the details each year. Supermarkets report a fall of up to 90% in bag use since similar charges were introduced in other parts of the UK. Marks&Spencer said it had seen a 50% reduction in bags used for clothing and homeware   since the charge came into effect in Wales and Scotland. England's scheme has more exemptions   than others -- in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all stores are covered, not just large retailers, so the headline figures for the reduction in use could be lower. As for the money charged for plastic bags, shops    .
must give it to good causes have to give it to the government can decide how to deal with it should use it to improve their service