A local campaign to make Newington Green the first area in London to be free of plastic bags has tapped into a huge groundswell of support across the community.
Amazingly, most shops have already verbally agreed in principle.
It looks as if one day this autumn might be the last time that Newington Green damages the environment by unnecessary use of plastic bags.
And it could very possibly be the first area in London to do so.
At the campaign launch last month at Newington Green, 200 cotton shopping bags from Hackney and Islington Councils were given out. Each bag contained information on the damage plastic does to the environment (reproduced below), and a request that the new owner stop accepting plastic bags from shops.
Over 100 residents said what they thought about plastic bags.
· 94% support a ban on plastic bags in Newington Green
· 66% would be prepared to pay for a bag
· of these, 79% would pay 5p, and 37½% would pay 10p
· 16½% would pay up to 15p, and a few would pay even up to £1
5p would easily cover the cost of a cornstarch bag the same size as the plastic bags currently given out for free. By not giving out plastic bags - and selling cornstarch bags for 5p when people forget to bring their own bag - shopkeepers would in fact save money, as they would not have to buy plastic bags.
To ease the transition, local Islington Councillors Anna Berent and Rhodri Jamieson-Bell have pledged to give 3,000 cotton shopping bags with a Newington Green design, which will be distributed to the shops in Newington Green to be given out for free to those people who have forgotten their bag. Hackney Council, who control half of the Green, have been unable to match their offer.
Next month we will ask shopkeepers and residents to sign a pledge promising that they will stop handing out / accepting plastic bags on a date this summer.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Why do we want to do this? Because plastic bags kill at least 100,000 birds, whales, dolphins, seals, seal lions and turtles every year. There are 100 million tons of plastic floating in the world's oceans, and the amount of plastic doubles in the worlds oceans every three years.
Plastic does not dissolve and biodegrade; it breaks into tiny pieces which contaminates soil, waterways and oceans for up to 1,000 years. It is eaten by every single creature in the world's oceans including the great Blue Whale.
Since the 1950’s almost every piece of plastic that we have ever made, used and thrown away is still here on this planet and will be here for centuries to come.
These statistics come from research by the first town in the UK to become plastic bag free – Modbury. Citations and sources for all the claims made above can be found on their website.
There are many more ways in which plastic damages the environment. Many of these have been highlighted by recent press coverage in all major papers and the TV. Look at our website below and follow the links to the many sites explaining the problem in more detail.
Why are we going to all this trouble if the government says it will ban bags anyway this time next year? Because this government has gone back on too many promises for us to trust it. Because the plastic bag manufacturers and supermarkets will fight the legislation tooth and nail - and it may drag on for months and even years. Because we would like to show the huge grassroots support for a ban. Because there is too much plastic damaging the environment already, and we don’t want to wait yet another a year. Because the community wants it and feels empowered by enacting the ban.
Who is supporting us? Newington Green Action Group, Hackney Council, Islington Council, Islington Friends of the Earth, Hackney and Tower Hamlets Friends of the Earth, and 94% of residents.
Why are we bothering with such a minor issue? It won’t solve the world’s problems. One step at a time. No, plastic bags won’t solve all of the environmental problems and challenges facing us. But they are a symbol of the wasteful and throw-away society which is damaging so much of the natural world and putting so many people at risk from global warming. Raising the issue raises this whole subject and makes people think about the effect they are having on the world around them.
Still doubtful? Find out more on our website
