9:24am Tuesday 13th May 2008
THE battle against the plastic bag is continuing, with a thousand life-long bags being handed out to shoppers.
York's Conservative Parliamentary Candidates Susan Wade Weeks (York Central) and Julian Sturdy (York Outer) and their team gave away 1,000 Fair Trade cotton bags in exchange for shoppers' plastic in a little more than three hours on Saturday in Parliament Street, York.
The bags - in natural ecru lightweight cotton, featuring the White Rose of Yorkshire symbol in green and white - were warmly welcomed by shoppers who were queuing to exchange their plastic bags for a more attractive and environmentally friendly alternative.
The give-away was timed to coincide with World Fair Trade Day.
"Everyone was thrilled with the bags and very keen to play their part - we had an amazing response" said Mrs Wade Weeks.
"Our message to everyone on the day was simple - just say no thank you to plastic in York.
"As consumers, we have a great deal of power. If we all decide together that we don't want something, we can really get results. This was a great start."