The States Assembly, the parliament of Jersey, has approved a proposal to ban the supply and distribution of certain kinds of single-use plastic and paper bags to reduce waste.

The proposition was brought forward by Infrastructure Minister Deputy Kevin Lewis and was unanimously ratified by States Assembly Members.

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The law will require traders to charge customers 70p for a plastic or paper ‘bag for life’.

This price was set after industry consultation and a study to identify the most effective price to discourage customers from buying the bags.

Certain bags, including bin liners, dog waste bags and nappy sacks, are exempt from the regulation.

Deputy Lewis said: “Similar bans on specific types of single-use plastics are becoming more commonplace across the world, and I am pleased we are leading the way in the British Isles with this legislation.

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“I’m pleased States Members supported this move, aimed at reducing waste and supporting our move to a carbon-neutral future.

“While many businesses would have been able to comply with the new law by January, others may find it challenging to work with their manufacturing partners to stock replacements in time.

“Some would face the need to destroy large quantities of existing bags, which clearly goes against what we’re wanting to achieve with this.

“Having acknowledged this, I’m pleased that States Members have backed my amendment, which will allow traders longer than originally proposed to get themselves prepared for the ban.

“Extending the lead-in period to 12 months will give businesses time to adapt, but I encourage those who are able to move to more sustainable packaging by an earlier date to do so.”

In May, the UK Government decided to double the cost of single-use plastic bags from 5p to 10p in England. The fee rise came into effect on 21 May.

Since the 5p charge was first introduced in 2015, sales of plastic bags in major UK supermarkets had fallen by 95%.