Plastic Bag Levy

The Plastic Bag Levy was introduced to reduce the huge number of plastic shopping bags used every day that cause litter in our City and along our coastline. Plastic bags also impact on ecosystems, habitats and wildlife.

The City Council encourages householders to avoid plastic bags and to use reusable bags instead.

All retailers should be charging the Plastic Bag Levy.

If you would like to report any retailers you may encounter in the course of your daily or weekly shopping that are not enforcing the levy you should note:

Shop Name and Address
Date and Time of Purchase
The Plastic Bag and a Receipt would be useful, but not necessary

You can then contact the Mary O'Leary the Environmental Enforcement Officer in the City Council at 091 536428
or Email mary.oleary@galwaycity.ie

Exemptions from the Levy

Smaller plastic bags, exempt from the levy, that are used to store NON-PACKAGED goods such as:

Dairy products
Fruit, vegetables or nuts
Confectionery/Bread
Cooked food, whether it is hot or cold
Ice

The levy also does not apply to:

Smaller plastic bags that are used to store fresh meat, fish and poultry, both packaged and unpackaged
Bags for life costing more than 70 cent
Bags supplied to intending passengers in airports and ports and passengers on board commercial aircraft and ships.
Items sold in the secure 'duty free' zone of airports in Ireland. (This is irrespective of whether or not the goods are 'duty free'. Items sold in the departure/arrivals zones of the airport are not exempt.

Galway City Council, City Hall, College Road, Galway.
Open: 9am - 4pm. Phone +353 91 536400 Fax: +353 91 567493 Email: customerservice@galwaycity.ie