Climate & Environment

Dunnes Stores yet to pay €36.5m after plastic bag levy court ruling

The sum is to be collected by the Revenue for the Environment Fund, which is running short following a drop in plastic bag use and landfill dumping

Margaret Heffernan, chief executive of Dunnes Stores: The supermarket chain had argued that it did not have to pay the plastic bag levy. Picture: Gerard McCarthy

Dunnes Stores has yet to pay a €36.5 million bill for uncollected plastic bag levies to the Revenue despite losing a court challenge three years ago, it has emerged.

The supermarket chain, which is led by chief executive Margaret Heffernan, had argued that it did not have to pay the plastic bag levy – currently 22 cent – on certain plastic bags used in its stores for wrapping fish, meat and other products between 2004 ...