SHOPPERS in Scotland have been getting their first taste of having to pay for their carrier bags.

New laws designed to combat the country's litter problem and the environmental damage caused by plastic bags came into force yesterday.

It now costs at least 5p for each single-use carrier bag as the charge covers all retailers including supermarkets, high street stores, corner shops and takeaways.

But for many shoppers it was business as usual at the check-outs as they accepted the extra charge. Many people brought their own bags from home or used "bags for life" purchased from stores in place of the traditional carrier bags.

However, some shoppers have expressed concerns about the "carrier bag tax".

Keiran Gallogley, from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, said yesterday: "My parents spend around £200 a week on one big shop, and they use about 20 bags.

"It's adding an expense and nobody has 20 'bags for life' in their back pocket."

Derek Robertson, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: "We have a unique reach across Scotland to deliver real change with these funds.

"We've delivered significant environmental improvements before and these bag charge proceeds will allow us to do more, making Scotland cleaner, greener and more sustainable."

The Scottish Government estimates 800 million single use carrier bags are handed out by supermarkets alone in Scotland each year, and believes councils pick up around 7.4m bags a year.

Tesco is pledging the funds raised go to environmental charity Keep Scotland Beautiful. Some smaller stores have been inventive in deciding what to do with the money raised from the charge.

The Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op canvassed its members to propose their favourite charities and is donating all funds raised from its two stores in the capital and one in Aberdeen towards the national cycling charity Sustrans.

Spokesman Ged Holmyard said: "The cause that received most votes was one which could potentially benefit the majority of our customers.

He added: "Naturally, we urge customers who want to avoid paying the 5p carrier bag charge to use a reusable bag, or basket, whenever possible."

Speaking at a Tesco store in Elgin, Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "Huge numbers of these bags end up as litter, blighting our communities and clogging up our seas and natural habitats, affecting many sorts of wildlife and marine species.

"We want that to change and for people to stop and think about whether they really need to take another bag. Alternatives like 'bags for life' are easy to get and are much more sustainable."

He said it was "extremely heartening" to see retailers sign up to the scheme, which includes a pledge to donate money raised through the charge to charities across Scotland.

Figures have shown similar charges introduced in Wales and Northern Ireland saw drops in new bag use of around 80 per cent and 70 per cent respectively, environmental groups said.

Dr Richard Dixon, director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: "Plastic bags are just one symbol of our throwaway society and charging for their use is an important step in changing people's behaviour.

"If the Scottish public don't respond positively to this then we should examine other options including increasing the charge per bag or phasing out the sale of single-use plastic bags."

MSPs overwhelmingly backed the introduction of the charge in a vote at Holyrood earlier this year.

Iain Gulland, director of Zero Waste Scotland, slammed the single-use of carrier bags as an "absurdity".

He said: "In Scotland we use hundreds of millions of single-use bags a year , an absurdity when you consider the resources used to make and transport an item for one use."