whether home compostable carrier bags already sold in some supermarkets will be exempt from the proposed 5p charge on single-use carrier b…

The proposed regulations are yet to be finalised. Compostable carrier bags will be included in the proposed charging scheme, as the purpose is to encourage people to use fewer bags and promote re-use, rather than switching to different materials.
There is potential for compostable carrier bags to help boost engagement with food waste collections by providing low cost food caddy liners, but only in certain restricted circumstances where local authorities and reprocessors agree that the specific compostable bags can be handled with food waste without increasing contamination. We are, therefore, exploring scope to facilitate this through the scheme in dialogue with retailers.