Cross-party support to make York a plastic-bag-free city

11:59am Friday 2nd May 2008

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POLITICIANS from all parties are putting aside their traditional rivalries to back a common cause - thwarting the plague of plastic bags.

Members of the Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative groups in York have combined to raise the pressure on shops in an attempt to bring an end to the sight of discarded carrier bags blighting the city and harming the environment.

The next salvo in the campaign will be fired next week when York's two Conservative parliamentary candidates, Julian Sturdy and Susan Wade, and a team of young helpers launch a drive to encourage businesses to offer customers traditional baskets and shopping bags rather than the plastic variety.

Shoppers who hand over their carrier bags for recycling on Saturday, May 10, in Parliament Street will receive 1,000 free lightweight cotton bags in a swap which the Tories hope will make them shun the plastic option.

Meanwhile, a petition of more than 1,000 signatures collected by City of York Council's Labour group has been presented to Parliament by the city's MP, Hugh Bayley, calling for York to be made a plastic bag-free city.

"Heavy winds earlier in the spring saw an appalling number of plastic bags being blown from landfill sites and festooning trees and hedgerows in York," said Mr Sturdy.

"It really is time to do something about it and we felt that now is the time to make a stand in York. We hope to enlist the support of market traders, retailers and charity shops, many of whom have already begun the move away from plastic to more sustainable options for customers."

Labour's "Ban The Bag" petition has now been sent to the Government for a response and Coun Ruth Potter, the York party's shadow spokesperson for neighbourhood services who presented it to Mr Bayley, said: "The petition to ban or tax single-use plastic bags has really engaged people and surveys indicate the vast majority regard them as unnecessary.

"I'm really pleased York's MP has made this commitment, which demonstrates the seriousness with which he takes the issue of reducing environmental damage."

The council's ruling Liberal Democrat faction has also vowed to help combat the use of carrier bags. Executive member for neighbourhood services Andrew Waller said: "Since bringing in the smart jute Recycle for York' bag, the council has provided 5,000 of these. With all the other types of reusable bags being sold by shops across the city, tens of thousands of York residents will have bought them for regular use. I meet regularly with supermarket chains to express residents' concerns, not just restricted to plastic bags, but all the other packaging which customers end up with.

"Residents are very switched on to this and want to do more, and sorting out plastic bags is just part of the long-term solution."