England introduced a 5p charge for large retailers on 5 October 2015 under the Single Use Carrier Bags Charges (England) Order 2015 (SI 2015/776). This is a charge kept by retailers, not a government tax. The Single Use Carrier Bags Charges (England) (Amendment) Order 2021 (SI 2021/598) raised it to 10p and extended it to all retailers from 21 May 2021 and removed the original end date, so the charge no longer expires automatically. Retailers report sales data each year to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The 2015 Order was debated in the Commons Fourth Delegated Legislation Committee on 10 March 2015 (Dan Rogerson for Defra); the 2021 Order in Lords Grand Committee on 19 April 2021 and the Commons Sixth Delegated Legislation Committee on 22 April 2021.
The 2025/26 data, published 30 July 2026, show 399 million single-use bags sold by the 94 retailers reporting between April 2025 and April 2026, down 9 percent year on year. The main seven retailers sold 126 million, down 23 percent on the year, 90 percent since 2016/17 and 98 percent against 2014, when they sold about 7.6 billion; that is around two bags per person. Retailers donated £8.7 million to good causes in the year.
Status as at September 2026: in force; comparable charges operate in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Dates verified against SI 2015/776 and SI 2021/598 (legislation.gov.uk) and Defra's carrier bag data for England 2025 to 2026 on 23 September 2026.