Wholesale and second-hand bags will be exempt from the current 70p charge, if a proposition lodged by the Infrastructure Minister is approved by politicians.
A ban on single-use plastic and paper bags officially came into force in July 2022 under the island’s Single-Use Plastics Law.
The law also required shops and traders to charge islanders at least 70p to buy a reusable plastic bag.
But now, Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan wants to amend the law to make certain types of bags exempt from this charge.
This would include bags that are supplied second-hand under a trader’s bag reuse scheme, and bags that are supplied by wholesale from one trader to another trader.
He explained: “The intent of the Single-Use Plastics legislation was to reduce the use of single-use plastic in the island, restricting the use of single-use plastic and paper bags, and requiring a minimum charge for reusable bags.
“Introducing the 70p per bag minimum charge for reusable bags for wholesale transactions between traders and for second-hand bags does not match with this intent, and formal clarification that they should be excluded is required.”
The 70p plastic bag scheme has previously been criticised for allowing businesses to “make money out of an environmental issue”.
When asked in 2023 whether consideration had been given to donating profits from the sale of plastic bags to environmental causes, then-Infrastructure Minister Tom Binet claimed that it was not feasible to calculate and collect the proceeds for charities.