Reducing waste from free shopping bags

9.27.10am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 17th Sep 2007

Lib Dem PPC Caroline Pidgeon considers how to reduce waste

Londoners are being invited to help shape the capital's future environmental policies by deciding whether or not to introduce a London-wide levy, or even a ban - on disposable shopping bags.

A public consultation has been launched to give Londoners the opportunity to tell them what they think of one of the key provisions that will make up the 10th London Local Authorities Bill (LLAB). To take part, please visit this website: www.londoncouncils.gov.uk/thebigquestion

Caroline Pidgeon, Parliamentary Spokesperson for Vauxhall Lib Dems has supported this major consultation from 14 September to 26 October 2007 on reducing shopping waste.

The consultation asks the public its views on a range of options. The views expressed in responses to the consultation will help shape the final proposal that will go into the 10th LLAB, due to be deposited in Parliament in November.

In the UK, over 13 billion bags are issued every year to shoppers. For London, a conservative figure based on population size would indicate Londoners use at least 1.6 billion bags per year - although with tourists this figure is probably much higher.

While some of these bags will be re-used once or twice, official figures reveal that only one in 200 of these are recycled, meaning that billions of shopping bags are sent to landfill every year, of which some plastic bags can take over 400 years to break down.

"I'd also be interested in hearing from residents on their experience in local shops and whether schemes based on a particular high street or shopping area might be introduced" says Caroline. "Our colleagues in Southwark are supporting a scheme on Lordship Lane, and the London Councils questionnaire cites the example of Modbury in Devon."