Ban the Bag

Last Updated on Saturday, 04 December 2010 23:48

Plastic bags… Enough is Enough

Why are plastic bags so bad?

• 17.5 Billion bags given away nationally by supermarkets (enough to cover all of London, Manchester, Newcastle and West Yorkshire.
• Around 200 million plastic bags end up as waste and litter on beaches, streets and parks every year.
• Each consumer uses an average of 290 plastic bags, every year.
• Non-degradable polyethylene is used in construction.
• Few outlets for recycling plastic bags.
• They harm wildlife- on land, rivers and seas.
• Cost money- to produce, clear up and dispose of.
• Most are used only once and then are throw away.

What can you or I do?
The answer is you can make a big difference just saying ‘NO!’ to free plastic carrier bags whenever you can. There are hundreds of different re-useable bags you can buy in all shapes, sizes and colours- cotton bags, durable plastic bags, string bags, Hessian bags, jute bags, designer bags, parachute material!

You just need to get into the habit of having some bags in handy. So keep some in your car, your handbag, pockets just in case. If you only have a few items, do you really need a bag anyway?

You will notice that alternatives to plastic packaging are popping up. Mostly corn cellulose is being used as a biodegradable alternative to plastic. The best way to deal with this material at home is to put it in your home composter if you have one. *