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COMMENT: Collective will needed to ban bags
OUR front page picture today shows the stark reality of this country's reliance on single-use plastic bags.
The photograph happens to be taken outside Worcester's Tesco store. But the image could be of the area surrounding any major supermarket in Britain.
The tide is turning, slowly but surely, against the practice of these bags being given out free to shoppers. Evidence of the damage caused by plastic bags to our environment, to wildlife, to our ability to dispose safely of rubbish is now incontrovertible.
Most supermarkets, including Tesco, now offer customers bags for life'. Some, such as Marks and Spencer, are to begin charging for plastic bags. Others, again like Tesco, offer rewards to shoppers who re-use bags.
Many towns and villages have now declared themselves plastic bag-free. Evesham is the latest place to conduct such a campaign.
We wonder what it would take to make Worcester one of Britain's first cities to ban the bags.
Collective will is the answer. Traders need to show the desire to get plastic out of their stores.
Shoppers need to have the desire not to use bags just once. Perhaps most importantly, the city council needs to kick-start the process by declaring itself in favour of a ban.
If the collective will is there we believe Worcester could become plastic bag-free. This newspaper will back such a campaign wholeheartedly. Let us know what you think. Contact us by post, e-mail or online. All the details on how to do so are on this page.
8:01am Monday 24th March 2008
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CommentPosted by: Margaret Layland, Worcester on 11:12pm Mon 24 Mar 08
I wholeheartedly agree with your views. Single use plastic bags are a drain on the world's resources,create a huge litter problem and are hazardous to wildlife; not only in this country but to ocean wildlife. Turtles swallow discarded bags mistaking them for jelly fish. It's not so many years ago that people always took their own bags to the shops. Plastic carriers became the norm, but you had to pay for them. Today's reusable bags are stylish and sturdy and I would urge people to use them.
I wholeheartedly agree with your views. Single use plastic bags are a drain on the world's resources,create a huge litter problem and are hazardous to wildlife; not only in this country but to ocean wildlife. Turtles swallow discarded bags mistaking them for jelly fish. It's not so many years ago that people always took their own bags to the shops. Plastic carriers became the norm, but you had to pay for them. Today's reusable bags are stylish and sturdy and I would urge people to use them.
Posted by: Logik, worcester on 11:30pm Mon 24 Mar 08
So what do we now use to wrap our rubbish in if we ban carrier bags Margaret. I seem to recall the Council advising us to use then to wrap our waste.
Of course, we'll go out and buy even more plastic bags to use to double and triple wrap waste, pick up the dog doo, line the waste bins etc etc and end up using even more plastic.
Turtles?!!, I never seen one of those wandering around Worcester!
Litter, don't blame the bags, blame the people who discard it.
Do your research and think again, they are not as bad as they are painted.
So what do we now use to wrap our rubbish in if we ban carrier bags Margaret. I seem to recall the Council advising us to use then to wrap our waste.
Of course, we'll go out and buy even more plastic bags to use to double and triple wrap waste, pick up the dog doo, line the waste bins etc etc and end up using even more plastic.
Turtles?!!, I never seen one of those wandering around Worcester!
Litter, don't blame the bags, blame the people who discard it.
Do your research and think again, they are not as bad as they are painted.
Posted by: BroadStreet, Worcester on 11:40pm Mon 24 Mar 08
I wonder how much of the paper used for the Worcester News is recycled?
Could somebody answer that?
I wonder how much of the paper used for the Worcester News is recycled?
Could somebody answer that?
Posted by: stu, royston vasey on 6:50am Tue 25 Mar 08
Why don't we just ban everything in this country,that would be easier. China and the USA can destroy the planet on their own
Why don't we just ban everything in this country,that would be easier. China and the USA can destroy the planet on their own
Posted by: andrew kirkham, malvern on 7:19am Tue 25 Mar 08
Totally wrong ,this is about the most misguided comment I have ever read just study the actual facts rather than the emotional rubbish propagated by environmentalists. The evidence is that the give away plastic bags are extremely sensible. They perform a variety of uses after they have been used to take the shopping home. The alternatives as shown in Ireland create more plastic waaste. The Alternatives also use far more energy in production , cost more to transport and use up more raw material in manufacture. Shops will now benefit from savings and yet will charge you for usage , ask the manager at M&S to clarify whether any prices have been reduced because of the change in their policy.
Totally wrong ,this is about the most misguided comment I have ever read just study the actual facts rather than the emotional rubbish propagated by environmentalists. The evidence is that the give away plastic bags are extremely sensible. They perform a variety of uses after they have been used to take the shopping home. The alternatives as shown in Ireland create more plastic waaste. The Alternatives also use far more energy in production , cost more to transport and use up more raw material in manufacture. Shops will now benefit from savings and yet will charge you for usage , ask the manager at M&S to clarify whether any prices have been reduced because of the change in their policy.
Posted by: Logik, worcester on 9:38am Tue 25 Mar 08
...wow, and there I was thinking that I would be out on a limb.
[quote] 80% of plastic carrier bags are re-used by UK households,
according to the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs used for carrying packed lunches to collecting dog mess.
Plastic carrier bags make up a tiny proportion of litter or waste less than 0.1% of litter and only 0.3% of the
household waste that goes to landfill.
Whats more, the energy recovered from incinerating a single plastic carrier bag will power a 60 watt light-bulb for one hour.[/quote]
So, why does Nu-Labour want a carrier bag tax. Well in Ireland the charge I have read is 9p per bag, however you look at it the government would get at least a portion of this. On top of this, extra plastic bag sales in other areas will give retailers more profit to tax and of course the VAT on those bag sales.
In the terms of Arthur Daley, 'a nice little earner my son'. More and more lovely taxes.
...wow, and there I was thinking that I would be out on a limb.
80% of plastic carrier bags are re-used by UK households,
according to the Department for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs used for carrying packed lunches to collecting dog mess.
Plastic carrier bags make up a tiny proportion of litter or waste less than 0.1% of litter and only 0.3% of the
household waste that goes to landfill.
Whats more, the energy recovered from incinerating a single plastic carrier bag will power a 60 watt light-bulb for one hour.
So, why does Nu-Labour want a carrier bag tax. Well in Ireland the charge I have read is 9p per bag, however you look at it the government would get at least a portion of this. On top of this, extra plastic bag sales in other areas will give retailers more profit to tax and of course the VAT on those bag sales.
In the terms of Arthur Daley, 'a nice little earner my son'. More and more lovely taxes.
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