Environment Minister Edwin Poots MLA welcomes the launch of Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s competition to encourage young people and their family to reuse their carrier bags.
The charity Eco-Schools has invited Northern Ireland’s pupils to create a poster highlighting the environmental benefits associated with reusing all of their carrier bags as much as possible.
Minister Poots announced in November that the Carrier Bag Levy charge in Northern Ireland will increase from 5 pence to 25 pence from 1 April 2022. The Minister announced an extension of the existing pricing threshold. Bags priced at 5 and less will be subject to the levy regardless of their material. The exemptions from the levy will also become simpler.
Minister Poots welcomed the launch of this competition and said: People continue to throw away their carrier bags, rather than reusing them. This has negative environmental consequences. We must make Northern Ireland a cleaner, more greener, and more pleasant place to live. We can help by making sure that we reuse and re-use our carrier bag.
The Minister continued: It is unacceptable that far too much plastic ends up as pollution in our environment or waste in our landfills. With more than five billion single-use plastic bags being used each year worldwide, and plastic waste expected to quadruple by 2050 it is crucial that we educate our youth to support and protect our environment.
Charlene McKeown, Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful’s Environmental Education Coordinator, is encouraging schools to take part. Any convenience that carrier bags provide is vastly outweighed by the environmental damage they cause. It is crucial that young people and families, as well communities and businesses, are aware of the importance to reuse and think before you purchase carrier bags. This competition is a fun way of spreading the message and we look forward seeing hundreds more creative submissions.
She added: Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful receives funding through DAERA. We will continue using it and all of our other funding sources to raise environmental awareness and eventually make the behavioural and behavioral changes necessary to protect the future of our environment as well as our children.
All Eco-Schools Year 4 and 9 pupils are eligible to participate in the competition. It will run from 21 February through 14 March. Each winning school will receive a donation. The winners, one from each year, will be awarded an ipad.
Notes for editors:
- Please visit this page for more information about the Eco-Schools poster competition. Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful
- Details on funding are available at DAERA FUNDING
- The Carrier Bag Levy is Northern Ireland’s applicable. ALLBags, not just plastic bags
- Northern Ireland now has 100% of schools registered on the Eco-Schools Programme.
- Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)| Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (daera-ni.gov.uk)
- Carrier Bag Levy legislation can be found at The Single Use Carrier Bags Charge Amendment and Revocation Regulations (Northern Ireland), 2022 (legislation.gov.uk).
- Eco-Schools teaches and empowers young people how to make environmental improvements in the lives of others. It is guided by United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. These are global targets for a better planet and future for everyone. One of these goals focuses specifically on responsible consumption and production as well as encouraging recycling and waste reduction.
- DAERA is part the Initiative UK Plastics Pact.
- Follow DAERA on Twitter and Facebook.
- All media queries should be directed to the DAERA Press Office: [email protected]
- The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800 hrs and 0800 hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. You can reach the duty press officer at 028 9037 8110.
Share this page
