The “chaos” predicted by tabloids failed to materialise when the new carrier bag charge came into force on Monday - but some people are still hoping to make a quick buck from the change.
According to the Sun, James Redland has been offering to sell “lightly used” carriers from Tesco at a 50% discount on Gumtree.
He said: “I’ve got loads lying around. By undercutting Tesco, I can make a go of it.”
SEE ALSO:
It was unclear if anyone had yet paid 2.5p for any of the bags on offer.
Used bags from several supermarkets also began to appear on eBay, with user pheasant-pluckers offering 25 from a selection of brands for just £1.
Several other entrepreneurial individuals on Twitter also seemed to consider the new rules a business opportunity…
Welsh supermarkets have been charging 5p for a plastic bag since 2011 and, as a result, have seen 71% fewer single plastic bags used and a 57% reduction in the overall use of all bags due to a rise in reusable bags for life.
Furthermore, the 5p charges have raised an estimated £17 to £22 million in donations to good causes.
Using the Welsh statistics, an infographic from pesonalise.co.uk predicts that England can expect to use 5.4 billion fewer single use bags and between £425 and £550 million raised for good causes by the 5p charge.