Ban On Plastic Bags: London Joins National Campaign

All 33 authorities in the London Councils group voted for legislation to prevent shops in the capital handing out free plastic bags, reports The Independent. “In the next fortnight Westminster Council will present a private Bill to the House of Commons which would apply to every London shop from the humblest newsagent to Harrods.”

“Shoppers clutching large numbers of bags in London’s West End could become a thing of the past; instead they will be asked to use sturdy reusable plastic ‘bags for life’ or cotton or string hold-alls. London’s authorities said they needed to halt the environmental damage done by plastic bags, which use oil and landfill space and kill marine wildlife.

“British shops hand out a staggering 13 billion every year. But after a decision by 33 London councils yesterday, plastic bags could be soon be consigned to history, unmourned by anyone who cares about cleaning up the environment.

“The ban is likely to be opposed by big retailers such as Tesco which prefer encouragement rather than coercion to change behaviour. But campaigners point to international trailblazers that have already banned the bags, places as diverse as Tasmania and Tanzania, which this year were joined by Paris and San Francisco. London would be the biggest urban centre yet to take the plunge.”

More here…

In India, the hill state of Himachal Pradesh (where I have been working for the past six months) banned the use of plastic bags many months ago.

The Australian government website says: Plastic Bag Phase-Out Has Started…
It’s governments’ intention to phase-out the lightweight plastic carry bags used by many retailers by the end of 2008. Many retailers have already started to make the change away from these types of bags.”