Straits Times 14 Nov 07
Backed by strong public support, council chiefs to press for ban in city
LONDON - THE British capital was set to take steps towards becoming the world's biggest plastic-bag-free city yesterday, with the chief executives of its 33 councils expected to push for a ban.
Hundreds of millions of plastic bags are given away by London shops each year, with most of them ending up in landfill sites.
But a poll of London residents and organisations conducted over the past two months has found more than 90 per cent of respondents supported environmentally-friendly moves to ban the bags or impose a tax of up to 15 pence (about 40 Singapore cents) on each one given out.
The Guardian newspaper said yesterday that as the Treasury is thought to be unlikely to support such a tax, the council chiefs were expected to press for a ban at a meeting later in the day.
It quoted a London Councils spokesman as saying: 'The mood is definitely to do something.'
He admitted that the councils do not have the power to impose a ban by themselves and would rely on a Member of Parliament introducing a private Bill. But the chief executives' decision will carry a lot of weight.
The paper pointed out that the national ban on smoking in public followed a similar initiative by the councils three years ago.
And if the bag ban receives parliamentary backing, it could be in place within 18 months.
When it conducted the survey, London Councils said that - across the country - 13 billion plastic bags are handed out to shoppers each year, with each person receiving about 220.
At the same time, only around one in 200 is recycled, with billions being sent to landfill sites where they can take up to 400 years to break down.
It also said cutting the number of plastic bags being handed out by just a quarter could eliminate 58,500 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year - the equivalent of taking 18,000 cars off the road.
London Councils pointed to the experience in Ireland, where a 15-euro-cent (about 30 Singapore cents) levy introduced in 2002 has led to a 95 per cent reduction in plastic bag use.
Paris is also imposing a ban this year, which is set to be extended to cover the entire country in just over two years.
In the United States, San Francisco led the way by banning plastic shopping bags in March.
Plastic bag ban set for London
Paul Eccleston The Telegraph 13 Nov 07
London councils want free plastic bags to be banned. They want shops to sell more environmentally friendly reusable bags instead.
London Councils, the umbrella group for 33 local authorities in the capital, say Londoners use at least 1.6bn bags every year. An estimated 13bn bags are issued to shoppers annually in the UK and 4bn end up in landfill sites.
London Councils have approved a private Bill aimed at encouraging alternatives to plastic bags following a consultation in which 90 per cent of people called for action and 60 per cent wanted an outright ban.
Councillor Merrick Cockell, chairman of London Councils, said: "The campaign to rid the capital of the environmental blight of throwaway shopping bags begins here.
"As a society, we need to do far more to reduce the amount of waste we are sending to landfill and London as a city is determined to take an ambitious lead on this issue.
"I urge all Londoners to voice their support to their MP and back the Bill once it gets to Parliament."
Its London Local Authorities (Shopping Bag) Bill is due to be deposited in Parliament on November 27.
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Meanwhile Sainsbury's claims that demand for free plastic bags has dropped 10 per cent in the last six months. The drop equates to 85m bags which the High Street stories claims saves 750 tonnes of bags going to landfill.
At the same time demand for re-useable bags has soared 50 per cent. Sainsbury's claims it is clear evidence that shoppers are becoming more environmentally aware.
Gwyn Burr, Sainsbury's customer director, said: "This is a positive and significant shift in the right direction. Customers are using and re-using longer life bags more than ever before and relying less on free carrier bags.
"This also suggests that our 'Make the difference' days are encouraging real behaviour change amongst our 16 million customers and their shopping habits.
The supermarket has staged two 'make the difference' days when it has removed free plastic carrier bags from the checkout and replaced them with free re-useable 'bags for life'.
It will be repeating the offer on Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th November 2007. Sainsbury's aims to give customers 9 million re-usable bags - made from recycled materials - over the weekend. If the bag wears out it will be replaced free of charge and the old one recycled.
"We will provide the bags for free but need customers to re-use them to really make the difference. Working together, these small and easy changes today can make real and lasting differences on major environmental issues," said Gwynn Burr.
An estimated 9m customers have received a free 'bag for life', although they are in fact used on average only 20 times, and Sainsbury's claims sales of re-usable bags have risen dramatically since the 'make the difference' days.
Hertfordshire-based degradable plastics firm Symphony Environmental Ltd said degradable carriers should be exempt from any future ban.
"It is the efficient disposal of the ones left in the open environment which has become a major problem," the firm said in a statement.
"Bags which really do degrade and do so safely are the only obvious answer and the company believes most short-life plastic products should be made from oxo-bio plastic."
