News
Single use carrier bag charge in England – great news for our oceans but a whole bag full of confusion for shoppers, says UK marine charity
The Marine Conservation Society (MCS), the UK’s leading marine charity, says the 5p carrier bag charge being introduced in England on October 5th can only be good news for marine and beach litter levels, but could end up being a shambles for shoppers who won’t know what to expect from one shop to another.
Small businesses in England – those employing fewer than 250 people – aren’t included in the scheme whilst in larger supermarkets where the charge is compulsory, cashiers will be asked to decide whether a charge must be paid by checking if the goods shoppers are buying qualify for a free bag.
In Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all shops, however small, have to apply the charge.
Dr Sue Kinsey, MCS Senior Policy Officer, says despite the Government suggesting they wanted to minimise confusion for the public and reduce the burden on cross-border organisations, the English scheme does the opposite.
“The Government has decided to bring in some totally superfluous and unhelpful exemptions which will cause confusion to retailers and consumers alike. It’s almost as if, having dragged their heels for so long, they feel they have to change something just to be different to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, despite the schemes being successful there,” says Dr Kinsey.
MCS says the exemption for organisations with fewer than 250 employees is most concerning.
“We believe this could cause major confusion and headaches for retailers and for customers who won’t be aware of what size of business they are shopping in. Will you be charged at a large supermarket but not at its smaller ‘lite’ version just down the road? Surely giving a level playing field to all retailers is beneficial and around 8,000 smaller businesses have already voiced their concern that they don’t want to be excluded,” says Dr Kinsey.
As in the Welsh scheme, paper bags are also exempt from charges in England, yet they have a substantial environmental footprint. “The whole point of a charge is to change behaviour, reduce bag use and therefore replacing one single use item with another is not the way to go,” says Dr Kinsey.
MCS says it’s quite clear from the comments they’ve received via social media from people in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, that a straightforward charge is not only easy for consumers to understand but it also focuses minds on the reason why a charge is so important.
In 2014 MCS volunteer beach cleaners collected 5,199 carrier bags on 300 UK beaches – that’s 47 for every kilometre surveyed as part of the charity’s Beachwatch programme.
“This is not a tax raiser for Government, but a charge to kick-start behaviour change, ultimately resulting in fewer plastic bags on our beaches and in our oceans,” Dr Kinsey continues. “We want people to embrace the charge and the environmental good it’s doing rather than be confused and angered by it every time they go shopping.”
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Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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