Isliington Tribune news: Recycling bags | Green scheme

Publications by New Journal Enterprises

Home

Archive

Competition

Islington Tribune - by PETER GRUNER
Published: 18 July 2008

Orlando Joppling

Binning the bags – green scheme gets thumbs up

A SMALL corner of Islington became one of just a handful of areas in Britain this week which were virtually plastic bag free.
Newington Green celebrated being the first community in the borough to bin the bags and only the second in London, after Kew.
Up to 50 shops and stores, including the local Metro Tesco, said they had managed not to give out any plastic bags for five days, thanks to a ready supply of the biodegradable cotton starch variety.
Six volunteers from Tesco, including the manager, also helped campaigners build a plastic bag “whale” designed by local sculpture Rupert Ackroyd to deposit plastic litter.
The store also donated £200 to the campaign.
Classical musician Orlando Joppling, 37, who organised the ban was delighted with the outcome and now plans to operate the scheme indefinitely and ultimately extend it borough wide.
Mr Joppling added: “We are particularly delighted with Tesco, who did better than expected. Ours is believed to be the first Tesco store in England not to give out plastic bags for a week. But everyone who took part in the event should be congratulated.”
Islington’s lone Green councillor Katie Dawson was highly impressed. “It just shows what can be achieved. Sainsbury’s and Waitrose take note.”
Jon Ackers from Islington Friends of the Earth said it was a fantastic campaign.
He added: “Sometimes I’m cynical about the value of local campaigns but the plastic bag ban really brought the community together. We haven’t had a campaign like this for years.”
Bags litter the streets, particularly around supermarkets, and internationally there are concerns that plastic is choking birds, fish and mammals who become entangled in it.
Campaigners asked residents to sign a pledge and promise that they will stop accepting plastic bags and persuade shops and stores to give them up.
Five pence is the cost of a cornstarch bag the same size as the plastic bags currently given out for free by some outlets.
Islington Council also helped by supplying a batch of 3,000 organic fair trade cotton shopping bags with a Newington Green design, which were be distributed to the shops.
Environmentalists say there are 100 million tons of plastic floating in the world’s oceans. The amount doubles every three years.
Since the 1950s almost every piece of plastic that has ever been made, used and thrown away is still here on the planet and will be here for centuries to come.

• Go to www.plastic bagfreenewington green.blogspot.com/ for further information

Comment on this article.
(You must supply your full name and email address for your comment to be published)

Name:

Email:

Comment: