Banishing the plastic bag - the revolution continues
When the people of Modbury announced they were going to be plastic bag free everyone nodded approvingly, but no-one really thought it would last and nobody thought that within only six months 50 other cities, towns and villages across the UK would follow suit. They include 33 boroughs in London, the islands of Mull, Arran and Guernsey, and my neighbouring town North Berwick. The seaside town, famous for it's stunning beaches and a huge colonies of seabirds, has handed out around 7,000 questionnaires to all of the town's residents to ask their opinion of the proposal to ditch free plastic bags from all local businesses. So far only 400 replies have been received but of those 98% support the idea.
[via The Guardian]
The initiative is being led by the North Berwick and District Business Association, who produced and distributed the questionnaires. Considering the small town has a Sommerfield and a Tesco it will be interesting to see if all the local businesses will agree to stop handing out free plastic bags. It's certainly inspired me to start the ball rolling in my small town of Haddington. I've already taken on board some of the advice given by the Modbury residents and will start to approach our local businesses next week. It's a daunting thought, but it's something I feel very passionately about and I think a lot of other people in my local community agree. Watch this space! Meantime if you want to try and start something similar in your town or area here are some pointers to ponder:
1 Do it yourself, or with a group. Don't rely on councils or supermarkets.
2 Get the trust of the traders. Approach them directly. A handout is not enough.
3 Gauge public support to encourage supermarkets and multiples to take part.
4 Learn about what plastics are doing to the environment.
5 Research every type of alternative bag on the market.
6 Set a date.
