About the Charges

From the 20th October 2014, Community Pharmacies in Scotland will be expected to comply with the Carrier Bag Charge (Scotland) Regulations. Guidance for Retailers has been produced to support implementation of the new regulations.

Zero Waste Scotland issued guidance with specific reference to Community Pharmacy.

How will the new Regulations impact on Community Pharmacy?

Bags containing certain medicinal products are exempt from the charges and include; fulfilling prescription requests (POM) and pharmacy medication (P) which can only be dispensed by a qualified pharmacist.

Exemptions are only valid where the bag provided is used SOLELY to contain one or more of these exempt items. It is the responsibility of the seller to ensure that bags are used to solely contain the items listed.

In addition, the following single use carrier bag sizes do not require that the retailer charge their customers:

• Small paper bags, no greater than 175mm x 260mm, without a handle and/or a gusset
• Small paper bags, no greater than 155mm x 80mm, without a handle but with a gusset but with a gusset of no more than 50 mm.
• Small flat plastic bags, no greater than 125mm x 125mm, without a handle