19th Oct 2015 11:11
LONDON (Alliance News) - Tesco PLC Monday said it will use the money raised from the government's 5 pence bag charge to pay for local environmental improvement projects, which will be nominated by people across the UK.
The UK's largest retailer said people will be able to apply for grants or nominate online the local projects they want to benefit from the funding. Types of projects expected to get the green light include new pocket parks, sports facilities, woodland walks and community gardens.
Nominated projects will be whittled down to a shortlist of three for each region, and in early 2016 Tesco customers will be able to vote in store and online for the projects they want to win.
Tesco said it is working with environmental charity Groundwork to administer the scheme, which offers grants from GBP8,000 to GBP12,000.
Six projects will receive funding in 428 regions annually, which means that around 2,500 different projects will get funding from the bag charge after just one year.
The UK government introduced the 5p plastic carrier bag charge earlier this month to shops and chains in England with 250 or more full-time employees, in a bid to encourage shoppers to shop with environmentally-friendly reusable bags and reduce plastic bag usage.
"We're going to work together with our customers to make sure the millions of pounds that will be raised from the bag charge goes towards making a real difference for our local communities," Communications Director Rebecca Shelley said in a statement.
"This is a fantastic opportunity for local environmental projects to get off the ground, and I'd like to encourage as many people as possible to get involved and nominate the projects that really matter to them," she added.
Shares in Tesco were trading down 1.6% at 193.76 pence midday Monday.
By Karolina Kaminska; [email protected] @KarolinaAllNews
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