New moves to ban the bag

8.30.23pm GMT Sun 23rd Mar 2008

• A FRESH plea has been issued by Richmond Council in the battle to ditch throwaway shopping bags in the wake of a new campaign to outlaw the carriers.

The Council has welcomed a new drive by the London Councils organisation to ban the bags. London Councils is piloting a private Bill, in Parliament which, if passed, will result in a ban on single-use throwaway shopping bags in the capital. They have set up a website at www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/banthebag, to enable people to show their support. Richmond Council has long promoted reusable bags, and this week renewed its plea to residents to avoid plastic bags and always take a reusable with them when out shopping. The Council recently handed out hundreds of free reusable bags outside shops across the borough as part of a drive coordinated by Recycle Now.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Martin Elengorn, said this week: "This Council does everything it can to encourage people to convert to reusables and raise awareness of the environmental damage caused by these single-use throwaways, most of which end up either in landfill or littering the streets. Londoners use more than 1 billion of these bags each year and we welcome moves by London Councils to outlaw them."