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The fee for plastic shopping bags in England will double to 10p and will be extended to all stores from April 2021.
Small retailers, those that employ 250 people or fewer, will no longer be exempt, said the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Environment Secretary George Eustice described the UK as “a world leader in this global effort”.
“But we want to go further … so that we can continue to reduce unnecessary waste and rebuild in a greener way,” he added.
“Our carry bag charge has been highly successful in removing billions of harmful plastic bags from circulation,” Eustice said.
“I hope that our pioneering trajectory in single-use plastics will inspire many more countries to follow suit, so that we can tackle plastic waste together and implement lasting change.”
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In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, all retailers, including smaller stores, already charge a minimum of 5p for plastic bags.
It was first introduced in Wales in 2011, then Northern Ireland in 2013, before Scotland introduced the charge for all carry bags in 2014, and England launched its charge for plastic bags on October 5, 2015.
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A public consultation in England last year saw the “vast majority” of people back the government’s plans to increase the tariff, in an attempt to further reduce the plastic used by consumers.
Since the levy was introduced in England, an estimated 15 billion bags have been withdrawn from circulation, and studies show that the levy has had an impact on reducing plastic waste on beaches and at sea.
In 2014, 7.6 billion bags were given away to customers in the seven largest supermarkets in England, the equivalent of 140 per member of the population.
Between 2017 and 2018, just over a billion bags were sold in major UK supermarkets.
England’s smallest retailers supply around 3.6 billion single-use bags a year.
Last December, the Convenience Stores Association estimated that about half of the small shops it represents in England are currently charging for plastic bags.
The government “expects” retailers to donate the proceeds from the sale of plastic bags to good causes, but it is not required. According to Defra, approximately £ 51 million was donated in 2017-18.
But while the vast majority of retailers chose to donate the proceeds from their plastic bags, in line with government expectations, some chose to keep the money.
Greenpeace welcomed the rate hike, but said that plastic bags were only “part of the problem” and that the government should consider taking action on plastic bags for life.
Greenpeace’s Sam Chetan-Welsh said: “By raising the price of plastic bags again, the government is taking a small step in the right direction, but now they should be taking big steps.”
He added that there are “so many ways that ministers know they could be driving rapid and substantial reductions in plastic pollution.”
“If costs are increasing for buyers, ministers really have no excuse not to increase costs for companies that are responsible for the increasing volumes of single-use plastic packaging in the first place.”
Earlier this month, Morrisons supermarket started a trial offering paper bags instead of reusable plastic bags, with the goal of getting rid of all plastic bags from its stores.
In response to the upcoming rate hike, CPRE, the rural charity, said it was time to “step up and face the war on plastic.”
“The government should press charges for all single-use disposable items, from take out cups to wooden forks,” said Tom Fyans, deputy executive director.
“Incentivizing reuse systems and ultimately committing to a Comprehensive Deposit Return Plan for beverage containers are the only ways the government can achieve a litter-free field and win the war on waste.”
