Cllr Alan Lawther said: “I have called for this to be introduced for several years. A plastic bag tax will lead to environmental improvements, and raise money for the Assembly in these difficult financial times.
“It is also a tax which is voluntary, does not need much organisation and will be a relatively straight forward money raising initiative. While I agree that the voluntary bag for life schemes introduced by many supermarkets have worked and reduced the number of plastic bags used, there are still a scary number littering our streets and having to be sent to landfill.
“Our landfills are overflowing and with EU quotas to reduce waste that if not met could result in fines, this tax will also save our councils money and so is a winner in several ways. I have little doubt that Alliance views in the Executive have helped get this adopted.
“The decision to provide funding for a Green New Deal Housing Initiative will also improve our environment while at the same time providing much needed help for our construction sector.”
ENDS