FROM today (Friday, May 21) the cost of getting a plastic bag to put your shopping in is doubling to 10p.

And the levy will now apply to ALL shops - not just the bigger retailer with more than 250 staff as was the case with the previous 5p charge, which was introduced in October 2015.

Environmentalist welcome the increased charge as a way of cutting down on single use plastics.

But the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) has calculated the increased rate will cost consumers £1.03 billion over the next decade.

It argues that as well as the 10p levy itself, shoppers face hidden costs like the increased use of paper bags and VAT paid on the charge, which they estimate will add around £45 to the cost of living for each household.

The TPA calculations predict that over the next decade, consumers will pay an extra £797.8million for the 10p charge; £1597m in additional VAT; £71.9m for substituted bags for life and bin liners; and £4.3m for paper bags.

A TPA spokesperson said many consumers have turned to online shopping during the pandemic, reducing the use of plastic bags, and the higher charges may therefore not reflect already changed consumer behaviour, making it difficult to accurately judge the success of the new charge in reducing plastic bag use.

Danielle Boxall, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "While the charge has helped cut down the use of carrier bags, it’s still shoppers paying the price.

“Moving on from plastic bags will bring many benefits, but politicians cannot pretend this hasn’t hiked the cost of living for hard-pressed households.

“The move to online shopping during the pandemic may do more for cutting carrier bag use than this new 10p charge.”

It is believed that including all shops in imposing the levy will drastically cut the estimated 3.4billion single use carrier bags issued free by smaller retailers.

This month's price increase is likely to result in people using an average of less than one bag a year.

Greenpeace's senior plastics campaigner Nina Schrank - who says a truckload of plastic enters our oceans every minute - is encouraged by the single-use bag price hike, but believes more needs to be done.

She said: "Plastic carrier bag sales are falling year on year and putting the price back to 10p should further discourage their use.

"But the UK uses more than a billion and a half heavy-duty 'bags for life' a year, so to make sure the gains made on carrier bags aren't lost, we also need to phase out bags for life."

Countryside charity CPRE deputy chief executive Tom Fyans welcomes the 5p increased charge, but wants to go further, calling for an all out "war on plastic" and other "throwaway items".

He said: "Government should bring in charges on all single-use, throwaway items - from takeaway cups to wooden forks.

"Incentivising re-use systems and finally committing to an all-in deposit return scheme for drinks containers are the only ways the government can achieve a litter-free countryside and win the war on waste."

READ MORE: The plastic bag tax going up to 10p.