Green Councillors call for plastic bag free Brighton
16 October 2007
Green Councillors are calling for Brighton & Hove City Council to support the campaign to reduce plastic bag use in the City.
A motion calling on the Secretary of State for the Environment to consider introducing a bag levy to help curb plastic bag use will be debated by City Councillors on Thursday 18th October.
Green councillors are calling for a 20p levy on every plastic bag given away in supermarkets and shops in the UK to help Brighton and Hove and other councils meet their waste reduction targets.
A levy would also cut the number of plastic bags.
This amounts to about 200 million every year ending up as waste and a threat to wildlife in streets, beaches and open spaces. Each bag can take up to 1,000 years to break down in the environment.
Green Councillor Amy Kennedy (left), the proposer of the motion, said:
“At this week's council meeting we will ask members of all parties to work with us, community groups such as Plastic Bag Free Brighton, and retailers to make Brighton and Hove a plastic bag-free city.
“About 17 billion bags are handed out every year by supermarkets alone in the UK – that's enough plastic to cover the combined metropolitan areas of London, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and West Yorkshire with enough left over to cling-film Brighton and Hove.”
“We welcome national and local action on the issue,” said Cllr Kennedy, “but we believe firmer action is required. We want the Government to look at the effects of introducing a levy, which has been done with great success in Eire. We are also calling on all retailers in the city to follow the example of those who offer reusable bags to their customers, such as the North Laine Traders Association who have recently launched a sustainable bag.”
Regulations introduced in 2003 call for packaging to be reused, recovered or recycled and the amount going to landfill reduced by more than a half by 2013.
Notes to editors:
Further information: Cllr Amy Kennedy - 07899 758911Organisations with whom the Brighton & Hove Green Party are working:
Plastic Bag Free Brighton – 01273 299119 (Chloe Hanks)
www.plasticbagfreebrighton.co.uk
North Laine Traders Association – 01273 601641 (Peter Stocker)
www.northlaine.co.uk
Green Party motion wording:
BRIGHTON & HOVE CITY COUNCIL
18 OCTOBER 2007
NOTICE OF MOTION
REDUCING PLASTIC BAG USE
This Council seeks to support and encourage retailers, businesses and commercial manufacturers to reduce excessive packaging, in particular the widespread use of plastic bags.
This Council notes that:
1. The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations 2003 aim to minimise the amount of waste packaging generated at source and ensure that packaging can be reused, recovered or recycled, and that the Landfill Directive requires the UK to reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill by more than half by 2013, and to around a quarter of the current level by 2020.
2. Annually an estimated total of around 17˝ billion plastic bags are handed out by supermarkets in the UK. This is enough plastic to cover the combined metropolitan areas of London, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle and West Yorkshire.
3. A plastic bag can take between 400 to 1,000 years to break down in the environment, and in the UK alone at least 200 million plastic bags end up as waste on our beaches, streets and parks ever year.
4. The reduction of the amount of plastic bags produced by supermarkets and convenience stores would therefore make a significant contribution to Brighton & Hove’s ability to meet its waste reduction targets, and would protect our environment.
5. This Council welcomes progress to date on the Waste and Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP) Courtauld Commitment, and wishes to play its part locally in assisting the protection of the environment by accelerating the reduction of waste from packaging.
6. This Council welcomes the work of local community groups such as Plastic Bag Free Brighton in seeking to reduce plastic bag use in Brighton & Hove.
This Council therefore resolves to:
1. Require the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Aaffairs requesting that the Government commissions a report on the options for reductions in plastic bag use, to include an assessment of the effects of a 20p per bag levy.
2. Acknowledge the work of local community groups and hopes that this will encourage local retailers to reduce their use of plastic bags, replacing them where necessary with reusable bags made from natural fibres or strong paper, and with cardboard boxes or cartons.
3. Welcome the move towards Brighton & Hove becoming a plastic bag free city.
[ENDS]
