Foodstuffs is committing the majority of funds raised by its new plan to charge for its plastic bags to environmental causes, although it will not be drawn on how much extra revenue the new charge will create.

The inevitable wave of retailers charging for plastic bags has gained further strength this morning, with Foodstuffs becoming the first New Zealand supermarket group to introduce a nationwide 5c per bag charge

A new campaign pushing for a levy on all plastic supermarket bags used in New Zealand has received lukewarm support from the Packaging Council, which warns that households could replace the bags they use to contain rubbish with heavier gauge plastic containers.

The "Get Real" plastic bag campaign was launched over the weekend and is demanding that supermarket giants Progressive Enterprises and Foodstuffs start charging for plastic bags at their counters.

The Warehouse has become the latest retailer to add a 10c surcharge on its plastic bags in a bid to encourage the use of re-usable bags.

The surcharge will come into effect from April 20, with the country’s biggest retailer planning to pump the profits from the sale of the bags into local community groups.

Chief executive Ian Morrice says the company is expecting the charge to “significantly reduce the unnecessary use” of plastic bags, estimating that 20 million bags will be taken out of circulation in the first year of the surcharge.