Shoppers in Nottingham must pay 5p for carrier bags at most big stores from today.
Customers at every supermarket and at large shops will need to use their own bags or pay the fee.
Similar rules are already in place across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, making England the last place in the UK to bring in a charge.
Supporters say the move will cut litter and prevent the amount of harmful waste going to landfill.
But opponents say the rules aren’t simple enough and every shop should have to issue the charge.
“That’ll be 5p please”: How the new rules work
-Only businesses with 250 or more full-time equivalent employees must charge for bags
-Rules include items delivered through online sales
-Some items must still come with free bags, including uncooked meat, prescription drugs and “live aquatic creatures in water”
-Businesses must keep a tally of how many plastic bags they sell and send the records to the Government
Figures show the major supermarkets in England give out around 7.4 billion plastic bags per year – most of which take hundreds of years to bio-degrade when thrown away.
Environment minister Rory Stewart said: “The more bags we take from the shops, the more plastic makes its way into our environment, blighting our high streets, spoiling our enjoyment of the countryside, and damaging our wildlife and marine environments.”
There are some exceptions to the rule, meaning items including raw meat will still come with a free bag.
Video: We asked shoppers at Asda in Hyson Green if they’d brought their own bags on the first day of the charge
Video: The Government has also produced a guide to the charge
