UK plastic bag use up for fifth year

Average household has 40 plastic bags at home, but number of single use bags taken at supermarkets keeps rising ahead of 5p bag charge in England

The number of single-use plastic bags handed out by UK supermarkets has increased for the fifth year running to 8.5bn, figures show.

The number is up by 200m on 2013 despite the average household already having 40 plastic bags stashed away, research from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs found.