Aberdeen considers reusable bags

Published on October 27, 2005 By Rajiv Badlani In Business

Reusable cotton shopping bags are to be distributed free to shoppers on a trial basis to encourage people to reduce the number of plastic bags they use, under the the 'Fantastic it's not plastic!' initiative.

Cotton shopping bags will be handed out at the shopping precinct on North Deeside Road during the promotion and local children at Culter school are also being encouraged to participate in the initiative. Amy Gray, Aberdeen City Council's Business Waste Minimisation Officer says, "Aberdeen City Council is encouraging residents to become more waste aware. Refusing plastic bags at checkouts is a simple step anyone can take to reduce the amount of waste they produce. Aberdeen City Council is also lobbying for the introduction of a tax on plastic bags in line with other forms of packaging." The UK now produces and uses 20 times more plastic than it did 50 years ago. Around 10 billion plastic bags are handed out by supermarkets and other retailers in the UK every year. Scots alone take more than 18.5 million plastic bags home from shopping trips each week, according to research by the UK's largest home improvement retailer B&Q. Every year Scotland uses approximately 1 billion plastic bags, this equates to 200 plastic bags for every man, woman and child in Scotland. If national averages are applied to Aberdeen then local residents are sending some 1000 tonnes of plastic bags to landfill each year. The average household is estimated to have 40 plastic bags stuffed in cupboards or drawers. Ireland introduced a levy on plastic bags in March 2002 under the Waste Management Act 1996, reducing usage by 90%. Plastic bags are a major cause of unsightly litter and they also harm wildlife. The amount of petroleum used to make one plastic bag would drive a car about 115 metres. Plastic bags that end up at sea are easily swallowed by marine life that mistake them for food. An estimated 100,000 whales, seals, turtles and other marine life die every year after swallowing plastic bags. In many council areas, plastic bags are the single main contaminant of kerbside recycling. In a report by Audit Scotland it is envisaged that waste is estimated to grow by 7% per annum, compared to a 3% predicted within the National Waste Strategy. The UK's appetite for free plastic bags shows no sign of diminishing despite many voluntary schemes such as bags for life, boxes or recycling of plastic bags. That’s the bad news. The good news is that awareness of the problem is increasing by leaps and bounds and is opening up the market for ecologically responsible products. An aggressive campaign positioning reusable bag users as being trendier and more glamorous and plastic bags users as being Neanderthals can achieve faster change. There’s a huge branding opportunity inherent in this. Patagonia and Body Shop are two very successful brands that have positioned themselves as being the smarter choice for their ecological concerns are a case in point. If you’d like to give your brand that kind of panache, choose from the attractive and economical options at www.badlani.com/bags/ Your logo on one of our reusable bags will position you as a responsible, forward thinking brand.

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