You'd be forgiven for thinking that climate change means we'll have to sacrifice our creature comforts. But it doesn't have to be that way.
Mark Lynas
Waste Projects
Teignbridge-wide plastic-bag free campaign
Since December 2008, Bovey has been plastic bag free for one year! Now Teignbridge District Council in partnership with the local climate groups is planning to persuade the traders in the whole of Teignbridge to stop giving away plastic bags. BCA has been helping with the campaign. Newton Abbot will be the first to go plastic bag free - by April 2009.
Charging for plastic bags dramatically reduces the use of plastic bags, usually by 90%. In Bovey, traders are saving money on buying them, and they have raised money for local charities from the 5p they charge for a bag. The majority of shoppers now use reusable bags to carry their shopping home.
In Ireland, a tax of 15 cents per bag resulted in a 90% drop in plastic bag usage, and raised 3.5 million Euros which was spent on environmental projects. Bangladesh has banned polythene bags altogether while Taiwan and Singapore are taking steps to discourage their use.
You can sign a petition at http://www.green-england.co.uk/plasticbagpetition to introduce a similar tax (to be spent on environmental projects) of 10p per bag in Britain.