 Mr Pringle said he was disappointed by the committee's decision |
MSPs have rejected a plan to charge a 10p levy on plastic carrier bags at supermarket checkouts. Members of the Scottish Parliament's environment committee said the charge would not achieve its aim.
They said that instead, limits on the use of plastic bags should be part of an overall waste minimisation strategy.
Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Pringle, who proposed the levy, said he was disappointed with the decision and plans to go for a full Holyrood vote.
The committee voted unanimously against the proposal, saying it would not work on its own.
Useful debate
However, MSPs said it had provoked a useful debate and asked for the issue to be tackled as part of the Scottish Executive's forthcoming waste minimisation strategy.
A 10p Irish charge on plastic bags, which can take up to 100 years to biodegrade, has cut their use by 90%.
Some supermarkets in Scotland, including Sainsbury's and Asda have already been encouraging their customers to buy re-usable bags.
Campaigners claimed a small charge would reduce both street litter and plastic waste bound for landfill sites.
Mr Pringle told BBC Radio Scotland: "I have bags in the boot of my car I've had for three years so that's saved me using about 360 bags a year."
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