In the News . . . . . . . . .A seven pence charge on carrier bags looks set to come into force in Wales from spring 2011

The mandatory charge, which has been driven by Welsh Environment Minister, Jane Davidson, is being introduced to dramatically reduce the number of single use carrier bags used in Wales.

More than 400 million single use carrier bags are currently given out to Welsh shoppers each year.

Most of these bags then end up littering our country or in landfill where they release harmful greenhouse gasses into the environment and take between 500 and 1000 years to degrade.

The Minister is proposing a charge of 7p per bag to transform shopping habits and reduce the number of single use carrier bags given out in Wales.

Read the full article at wales.gov.uk/newsroom

BBC also covering this story.