Are there alternatives to charging 5p for reducing plastic bag use?

Each year about a trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. In 2014 alone, supermarkets issued over 8.5 billion single-use carrier bags in the UK. Plastic bags, the litter they cause and their harmful effects on the environment are no longer a tolerated nuisance, they are perceived to be a widely discouraged vice. Governments are attempting to tackle the issue, and in recent years common policy interventions include enforcing stores to charge a monetary fee for a plastic bag, or banning the sales of plastic bags altogether.