WWF-UK: Plastic bags: One billion too many, says WWF
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Plastic bags: One billion too many, says WWF
Thursday 28 February 2008
Over 1 billion plastic bags were used in Scotland last year.
The latest figures from WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) suggest that over 1 billion plastic bags were used in Scotland last year, prompting the Scottish Government to call on retailers to do more to phase out single use bags.
Dr Dan Barlow, Acting Director of WWF Scotland said:
"Single use carrier bags are symbolic of our wasteful attitude to resources. Each year in Scotland, nearly a billion carrier bags pollute our environment, threaten wildlife and get dumped in landfills. Their manufacture squanders non-renewable resources and energy, and leaves behind a waste legacy that will take hundreds of years to degrade.
"Measures to reduce unnecessary plastic bag use are most welcome and we applaud those retailers that are making progress in cutting the use of single use carrier bags. However unless other retailers follow suit and step up their efforts we will urge the Scottish Government to bring forward mandatory measures to cut plastic bag use in Scotland."
Dr Dan Barlow, Acting Director of WWF Scotland said:
"Single use carrier bags are symbolic of our wasteful attitude to resources. Each year in Scotland, nearly a billion carrier bags pollute our environment, threaten wildlife and get dumped in landfills. Their manufacture squanders non-renewable resources and energy, and leaves behind a waste legacy that will take hundreds of years to degrade.
"Measures to reduce unnecessary plastic bag use are most welcome and we applaud those retailers that are making progress in cutting the use of single use carrier bags. However unless other retailers follow suit and step up their efforts we will urge the Scottish Government to bring forward mandatory measures to cut plastic bag use in Scotland."
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