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Supermarkets failing to cut plastic bag use voluntarily
28 July 2011
Commenting on figures published by WRAP showing that a voluntary commitment by supermarkets to slash the number of bags they give out is failing, Friends of the Earth's waste campaigner Julian Kirby said:
"Plastic bags are choking our wildlife and clogging up our homes - getting in the habit of carrying around a reusable bag is a great way to make sure you don't need to pick-up a throw-away plastic bag for your shopping.
"Handing out millions of plastic bags for free sends the wrong message to shoppers - a small charge has slashed their use in Ireland and could help cut UK bag waste too.
"But plastic bags are just the tip of the iceberg - the Government should be helping us cut out all forms of waste, whether that's food that ends up in the bin, appliances that break early or the postcode lottery that means what's recyclable in one area isn't in another."
ENDS
Notes
1. The WRAP figures are available to download.
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Aug 2011
