Fantastic It’s Not Plastic has carrier bags all wrapped up
02/05/08
Aberdeen City Council is re-launching a campaign to encourage individuals and businesses to reduce their use of carrier bags in a bid to cut the amount of plastic waste in the environment.
The Council is to write to the Prime Minister and the First Minister requesting an immediate ban on non-biodegradable plastic bags, as part of the Fantastic It’s Not Plastic Campaign, which kicks off on Tuesday, 6 May.
As an incentive to people to stop using carrier bags, the EcoAberdeen team will be exchanging natural fibre cloth bags with members of the public and Council staff who hand in five carrier bags at venues throughout the city.
The bags will be passed on to a third party, which will recycle them and turn them into clothing, including fleeces and underwear.
The campaign is being run in conjunction with KIMO International - the local authorities international environmental organisation.
KIMO International’s Fishing for Litter Co-ordinator Rick Nickerson, along with the EcoAberdeen team, will be explaining and demonstrating the damage caused by plastic in the environment.
City Council leader Councillor Kate Dean said: "This is a great campaign which could really make a positive impact on the environment and the City. I would strongly encourage people to get behind it and do their bit to reduce the number of carrier bags being used."
Lead councillor for the environment Ron Clark said: "Far too many plastic bags are being wastefully used and discarded, causing all sorts of problems. They get caught on trees, shrubs, and roses, and have to be removed by Council staff at a high cost. Businesses and all of us as individuals have a responsibility to do something about that, and there's no time like the present to start re-using bags and thinking of the future."
Aberdeen City Council Chief Executive Douglas Paterson said: "The Council is determined to clean up the city and working towards reducing the number of carriers bags being used is a big step towards doing that."
The problem is becoming so widespread that North-east fishermen are “catching” carrier bags when they bring up their nets at sea. The plastic can kill, maim, and disfigure wildlife, both at sea and on land, as well as getting caught up in plantlife.
Fantastic It’s Not Plastic aims to educate the public about how plastic bags create litter and environmental and economic hazards, and also how recycling, re-using and changing our habits can give benefits – not just by creating new products but by improving our beaches and sea life, and the state of our city.
An EcoCity Display and bag exchange will be at St Nicholas House from May 6 to 8.
Details of future bag exchanges can be found via the Fantastic It’s Not Plastic link on the City Council website www.aberdeencity.gov.uk
If you have any queries regarding this, or any other news story, please contact Aberdeen City Council on: 01224 522000.
