A team of plastic bag monitors is being introduced in Londonderry.

Plastic bag levies are being introduced across the UK to help curb their use, thereby reducing the environmental impact of these single-use carriers and highlighting the potential for more sustainable options.

Wales has already brought in its own small charges, as well as paper bags and cotton bag-for-life alternatives. However, England is still debating the issue within government and at more local and trade industry levels.

Elsewhere, Northern Ireland is preparing to introduce a plastic bag tax next year, which will involve a Londonderry-based team of monitoring staff, to ensure that the new legislation is being followed fully.

Due to come into force in April 2013, the regulations will require sellers to charge their customers a 5p levy for a broad range of single-use carrier bags, primarily focusing on plastic bags.

Sellers of these bags will be required to pay the proceeds of the nominal levy straight to the Department of the Environment, the BBC reports, where the money can then be reinvested into environmental causes and projects, largely focusing on the local area.

The Derry-based in-house Carrier Bag Levy Team will be tasked with looking after the collection of the levy, while also ensuring that sellers are quick to implement the charging arrangements effectively.

This includes spreading awareness within the community and businesses making sure that their customers are well aware of the new regulations and understand where the levy will be going to.

Ahead of the legislation coming into force, the Department of the Environment requires retailers to register as sellers of carrier bags, in order to get implementation processes underway.

Following this, the levy staff will collect the charges on a quarterly basis, with sellers able to make payments online.

The first payments will be due in July 2013.

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