* Plastic ain’t fantastic say Greens as their cotton carriers hit the streets

A new range of colourful cotton shopping bags is due to be launched exclusively in Lewisham shops. The scheme, proposed by Green Party councillors and taken up by the council, has the double aim of promoting local shops and reducing waste.

More than 10,000 will soon be in use around the borough, and each colourful carrier is emblazoned with the name of a local town centre and the slogan ' Shop Local ' .

Following hot on the heels of the recent frenzy by fashionistas to get their hands on Anya Hindmarch's highly sought after designer bag
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6587169.stm

and the announcement that Modbury in Devon has just become the first plastic bag free town in Europe

Lewisham town centres are now to get their own ' ethical bags '

Ladywell councillor Sue Luxton commented:

"This is a win-win deal for shoppers, businesses and the environment. Buying and using these bags will not only cut the number of plastic bags thrown away, but also shows support for local shops.

"The first batch has just arrived and will be hitting shops soon. The next batch, funded by a Green Party budget amendment, will be Fairtrade and organic, so they are the all-round ethical choice for shoppers. "

Shops will sell the bags to customers at only £2 each, and revenue from the scheme can be used by town centre managers to promote local centres and parades.

Brockley councillor Romayne Phoenix added:

"We all know plastic ' s not fantastic - plastic bags are made from a finite resource - oil - they don' t compost, they endanger wildlife when they end up as litter in rivers and parks and they are simply not as practical or comfortable to carry as reusable cotton bags.

"Ultimately we need a national plastic bag tax, as Ireland has, but from June Lewisham ' s concerned shoppers can take individual action to do their bit for the planet by using these cotton carriers. "

She added:

"These could soon be the must-have accessory for all shoppers in Lewisham. Buy now while stocks last! "

. Green Party councillors first proposed the scheme last year during the 2007/08 council budget process. Officers liked the idea so much that they used economic development funds left over from 2006/07 to begin the scheme immediately. The Greens' budget proposal to spend further money on Fairtrade, organic bags for town centres not covered by the first tranche was then approved by the council, paying for the second batch, which will arrive later in 2007.

More details and photo available on Sue’s blog:

http://greenladywell.blogspot.com/2007/05/this-is-not-plastic-bag.html

*PLASTIC BAGS: Ban in Italy. Taxed in Belgium

Italy: ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags

Like France, Italy has passed a law providing for non-biodegradable plastic bags to be banned from 2010. European reports that a draft Decree to implement this measure is expected to be notified to the European Commission before the summer. The 2007 Finance Act also includes provision for a tax on plastic carrier bags and a EUR 0.01 tax on plastic bottles for mineral or table water. The revenue from this tax will be used to finance projects aimed at providing universal access to water. (Source: Resource Recovery Forum)


The Belgian government tried to introduce a carbon-based tax on all packaging materials this year but backed down in March in the face of strong opposition from a coalition of environmentalists, industry and consumers.
Instead of a tax on all packaging materials, the government has decided to tax selected types of packaging, as follows: Plastic bags (carrier bags) EUR 3 per kg, Plastic films EUR 2.70 per kg, Aluminium foil EUR 4.50 per kg, Disposable cutlery EUR 3.60 per kg. The taxes on these selected items are scheduled to take effect on 1 July 2007.

HOW LONG MORE WILL GRODON BROWN CHICKEN OUT?

San Francisco Votes To Ban Plastic Shopping Bags

Supermarkets and chain pharmacies would have to use recyclable or
compostable sacks
by Charlie Goodyear/ San Francisco Chronicle

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors approved groundbreaking
legislation Tuesday to outlaw plastic checkout bags at large
supermarkets in about six months and large chain pharmacies in about a year.

The ordinance, sponsored by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, is the first
such law in any city in America and has been drawing global scrutiny.

"I am astounded and surprised by the worldwide attention,"
Mirkarimi said. "Hopefully, other cities and other states will
follow suit."

Fifty years ago, plastic bags,starting first with the sandwich
bag were seen in the United States as a more sanitary and
environmentally friendly alternative to the deforesting paper bag.
Now an estimated 180 million plastic bags are distributed to
shoppers each year in San Francisco. Made of filmy plastic,they
are hard to recycle and easily blow into trees and waterways,
where they are blamed for killing marine life.
They also occupy much-needed landfill space.

Two years ago, San Francisco officials considered imposing a
17-cent tax on petroleum-based plastic bags before reaching a deal
with the California Grocers Association. The agreement called
for large supermarkets to reduce by 10 million the number of bags
given to shoppers in 2006. The grocers association said it cut back by 7.6 million, but city officials called that figure unreliable and unverifiable due to poor data supplied by markets.

The dispute led to a renewed interest in outlawing the standard
plastic bag, which Mirkarimi said Tuesday was a "relic of the
past." Under the legislation, which passed 10-1 in the first of
two votes, large markets and pharmacies will have the option of
using compostable bags made of corn starch or bags made of
recyclable paper. San Francisco will join a number of countries,
such as Ireland, that already have outlawed plastic bags or have
levied a tax on them. Final passage of the legislation is expected at the board's next scheduled meeting.