Lib Dem Plastic Bag amnesty proposal gets the go ahead

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 10th Nov 2007

Sheffield Lib Dems campaigning against plastic bag use

Liberal Democrats on Sheffield City Council have successfully proposed that a plastic bag amnesty takes place in Sheffield. In a bid to raise awareness of the damage plastic bags do to the environment, the event will see free 'bags for life' being distributed to local shoppers in return for plastic bags that are handed in.

It is estimated that in Yorkshire & the Humber region alone about one billion plastic bags are distributed every year. Plastic bags litter the environment, pollute our seas and cause the death of birds and other animals as a result. They can take hundreds of years to break down.

Lib Dems want to see supermarkets work together with the Council to setup an event that will allow shoppers to hand their plastic bags in and receive a free 'bag for life', as part of a campaign to raise awareness of the issue.

At the last council meeting Liberal Democrats proposed to setup a cross-party group to contact local supermarkets and setup such an event. The proposal was passed. Similar events have been held in other parts of the UK after the local council organised them in conjunction with local supermarkets.

Cllr Paul Scriven, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on Sheffield City Council, said: -

"Whilst we are leading calls for the Government to take action to reduce the use of plastic bags, we believe that the local council can still take action to help raise awareness and make a difference."

"Therefore i'm pleased that a plastic bag 'amnesty' event will be organised in conjunction with local supermarkets. This would mean that local shoppers would be able to trade in their old plastic bags for a 'bag for life', in order to show how easy it is for us all to reduce our usage of plastic bags."

"This type of amnesty event has been successful in other parts of the country so there is no reason why one can't work in Sheffield with the local supermarkets help. People don't want more conferences and speeches, they want to see their local authority start to take real action to tackle key environmental issues."