Plastic Bags

​​The plastic bag levy's primary purpose is to reduce the consumption of disposable plastic bags by influencing consumer behaviour.

The levy is remitted into the Circular Economy Fund, which is used to support initiatives to reduce waste and promote the reuse and recycling of goods. It has had a major effect on consumer behaviour since its introduction. Annual sales of lightweight plastic bags have dropped from a high of more than 130 million to just 8.3 million during 2022, with all the associated benefits for our environment.

Certain smaller bags, known as very lightweight plastic bags, are exempt from the levy. These are bags which have a wall thickness of less than 15 microns (i.e. less than 15 one-thousandths of a millimetre) and which are used to contain certain products, as set out in Regulation 5 of the relevant legislation (S.I. No. 698 of 2023)

Alternatives to disposable plastic bags, such as reusable bags, are widely available in shops. In the grocery sector, disposable plastic bags have largely been replaced by such reusable shopping bags. Plastic shopping bags designed for re-use are exempt from the levy provided they have a wall thickness of 50 microns or more.

While some plastic bags are sold as “biodegradable”, the levy on plastic shopping bags has a strong anti-litter emphasis, and the Regulations do not distinguish between “biodegradable” plastic bags and other plastic bags. “Biodegradable” bags still take a considerable time to degrade. Such bags will continue to form a visible nuisance where discarded as litter.

Figures for plastic bags as a percentage of litter pollution nationally are included in the annual National Litter Monitoring Statistics. The figures show that the percentage of plastic carrier bags in litter has reduced by more than 92% since the levy was first introduced in 2002.

• Circular Economy (Environmental Levy)(Plastic Bag)(No. 2) Regulations 2023