We have, for a long time,   been appalled   with the wastefulness   of the single use plastic carrier bag and wondered why most people accept them as the norm.  Indeed it is an expectation that a 'free'   plastic carrier bag will be provided when out shopping, yet only a few decades ago we would never leave the house without a   trusty bag for our groceries.     We   decided that instead of complaining   we should do something about it so we established BagAge,     a business promoting sustainability and waste awareness by saying   'no to plastic bags'.   As Mahatma Gandhi once said 'be the change you want to see' we intend to be that change.

Perilous Plastic Bags

Despite only being in general use for little more than 30 years,   plastic carrier bags have become a significant problem.   According to the environmental charity   'Waste Watch' 17.5 billion plastic carrier bags are given out each year in the UK. That is nearly 6 bags per week   for every man, woman and child.   Plastic bags are a problem because:

• They are used in minutes but take from 100 to 1000 years to breakdown
• On land they block drains, trap birds and kill livestock
• In our seas, 100,000 birds, whales, dolphins, seals and turtles die each year

Turtles think a plastic bag floating in the sea is a jellyfish. Their favourite food is the jellyfish!

The Solution

There is a solution, and   countries more enlightened than the UK are showing us the way.

• In Ireland they introduced the plastic bag consumption tax or plastax.   This successfully reduced their 1.2 billion consumption of plastic bags by 95%.
• Taiwan cut the use of plastic bags by 69% by introducing   a plastax.
• Bangladesh has banned production and possession of plastic bags because they were believed to have blocked the drainage system which escalated   flooding.
• Coles Bay in Tasmania was the first town in Australia to ban plastic bags and I can personally endorse that it makes a huge difference to the litter problem. There isn't any!
• Finally San Fransisco has just announced that it will ban plastic bags from major supermarkets and chemists.
• Stop press! 01/05/07 Modbury in Devon becomes the first plastic bag free town in the UK.  Well done!

It is great that   some countries and towns are taking a lead to tackle the plastic problem and we at BagAge applaud those efforts.   However,  as individuals we can make a difference too.   By using a reusable shopping bag, you personally will reduce the plastic bag problem by 300 bags per year.   Go on, you know you can do it!