WWF-UK: Government considers ban on plastic bags
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Government considers ban on plastic bags
Friday 29 February 2008
The Prime Minister has said that the government is considering banning plastic bags, following media headlines about the impact of the bags on the environment.
Writing in the Daily Mail, which has launched a campaign to ban plastic bags, Gordon Brown has encouraged supermarkets to follow the lead of Marks & Spencer, which has announced that it will charge consumers 5p for plastic bags. The Prime Minister also said the government will introduce a green levy to force retailers to charge for bags if the UK doesn't make enough progress on the issue in the next year.
Around 13 billion plastic bags are used in the UK each year. Plastic bags can take between 400 and 1,000 years to break down and when they do they can contaminate soil, waterways and oceans. Many plastic bags end up as litter on our beaches, streets and parks. Many marine animals mistake plastic bags for food and swallow them, with painful and often fatal consequences.
WWF supports calls to reduce the use and impact of plastic bags. If everyone consumed natural resources and generated carbon emissions at the rate we do in the UK we would need three planets to support us. Plastic bags are part of a bigger problem - the need to reduce our impact on the environment. There are many simple and easy steps we can all take that could make a difference and enable us to live within the limits of the planet's natural resources.
Around 13 billion plastic bags are used in the UK each year. Plastic bags can take between 400 and 1,000 years to break down and when they do they can contaminate soil, waterways and oceans. Many plastic bags end up as litter on our beaches, streets and parks. Many marine animals mistake plastic bags for food and swallow them, with painful and often fatal consequences.
WWF supports calls to reduce the use and impact of plastic bags. If everyone consumed natural resources and generated carbon emissions at the rate we do in the UK we would need three planets to support us. Plastic bags are part of a bigger problem - the need to reduce our impact on the environment. There are many simple and easy steps we can all take that could make a difference and enable us to live within the limits of the planet's natural resources.
