Aislinn Simpson, The Telegraph 13 Aug 08;
The National Trust has cut the number of plastic bags it hands out by 95 per cent after it started levying a five pence charge.
Its clampdown on the "plastic poison", blamed for harming wildlife and blighting the environment, follows similar successes at High Street stores and supermarkets across the country.
Thousands of customers have opted to either recycle old bags or invest in hessian and canvas, and the Government has warned of a mandatory charge for those retailers who do not get onboard the anti-waste bandwagon.
The National Trust implemented a plastic bag charge across its 220 shops and plant centres in England, Wales and Northern Ireland 100 days ago as part of a wider campaign to become more environmentally-friendly.
Starch alternatives to cellophane are used in the packaging of greetings cards and postcards, confectionary and sandwich boxes, and biodegradable bubble-wrap has been introduced for all packaging leaving its distribution centres.
The heritage and conservation organisation now claims to have saved more than 325,000 carrier bags from landfill, compared to the 1.25 million plastic bags it previously gave away each year.
By contrast, jute bags bearing the trust's oak leaf logo have jumped to 164,000 in the last four months, thanks to a £1.50 discount.
Stuart Richards, National Trust head of commercial operations, said it is now working with its suppliers to eradicate all unnecessary waste from its shops.
He said: "We're seeing people bringing their own bags from home but a lot of people have also invested in our jute bags, and we will be looking at extending this range.
"The feedback we've had from customers has been incredibly positive and such a dramatic drop in demand for plastic bags will help the National Trust cut its waste and reduce the amount of rubbish ending up in landfill sites."
Already the Trust has installed a range of other eco-measures across its stately homes and castles as part of a drive to make its properties more environmentally friendly.
Boilers fuelled by wood pellets were installed in the spectacular 17th century Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire where the BBC's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was filmed.
This autumn, solar panels are to be built into the William and Mary-styled Hanbury Hall in Worcestershire to create an energy efficient method of heating the hot water system.
The campaign to wipe out plastic bags started in the small South Devon town of Modbury after local resident and camera woman Rebecca Hoskins went to the Pacific to film marine life for the BBC and saw first-hand the damage caused by waste plastic.
Her harrowing images of dolphins entangled in plastic and seals with their noses trapped in parcel tape roll had the impact of persuading Modbury's 43 traders to get rid of plastic bags altogether, making it the first town in the UK to be plastic bag free.
In February 2007, British retailers voluntarily committed to reduce the use of plastic bags, and Ikea, B& Q, Debenhams, Body Shop, Whole Foods Market and Oxfam went on to either ban them altogether or run trials on charges.
Of the big supermarkets, only Marks & Spencer has introduced a charge so far.
The result was an 80 per cent cut in bags handed out since the charge was introduced across M&S stores at the beginning of May.
The store estimated that 70 million fewer bags were handed out at its tills compared with the same period a year ago, and said it would donate the £200,000 it made on charges to Groundwork - which runs projects to create new parks and play areas.
Shops in Britain hand out almost 13 billion plastic bags every year, which are used for an average of just 20 minutes before being thrown away.
Most end up in landfill sites where they can take up to 1,000 years to rot away.
