Seek donations from retailers from plastic bag levy, charities urged

Ahead of this month’s introduction in England of a mandatory charge for using all plastic bags at shops, charity specialist accountants The Fish Partnership is encouraging charities to ask retailers for funding from the income they will generate.

The 5p bag charge, which comes into force in England on 5 October, could, says the partnership, raise “as much as £100 million for retailers” in the run up to Christmas.

Last year in the UK around 8.3 billion plastic bags were used, meaning that around £345 million of revenue will be raised through the scheme, once VAT has been paid.

The plastic bag levy was introduced in Wales in 2011, Northern Ireland in 2013, and Scotland in 2014.

Of course, some large retailers have already pledged to give the money they receive to charities, but not all have specified which organisations will benefit. For example:

* Asda is offering up to £360,000 in plastic bag tax funds to Welsh charities, but has not yet announced which organisations it will support in England

* Tesco will donate an estimated £30 million to environmental projects, with shoppers nominating causes to benefit, and with the funding being handled by environmental organisation Groundwork.

* Marks & Spencer will benefit local organisations that it has existing relationships with

* The Co-operative has not yet announced which organisations it will support in England

* Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose have all invited charities to approach their local store for information

But there will be plenty of other probably smaller retailers who will not have been approached by charities with this suggestion.

Martin Sheehy, Managing Director at The Fish Partnership, said:

“While some consumers may not be happy with the charge it is likely that many charities will benefit in the coming years from its introduction. We are already seeing signs from major retailers that they intend to give some of the revenue to good causes.

“I would encourage all charities to look into the potential fundraising opportunities are on offer from the bag charge, no matter how big or small the contribution may be.”

 

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from UK Fundraising http://ift.tt/1j3aEnW