Plastic bags project

Councillor puts motion to make Hastings Plastic-Bag Free

(From the website of Cllr Dominic Sabetian)

There are many ways to combat climate change and one of the simplest and quickest to introduce is reduction in, and eventual elimination of the use of plastic bags.  The average household uses ten plastic carrier bags each week and Hastings could follow the example of other towns and cities around the UK by encouraging shops not to give away single-use plastic bags and residents to re-use bags. At present 13 billion plastic bags are given away in Britain each year and a huge amount of energy is needed for their manufacture; furthermore, it takes hundreds of years for each bag to rot down and everyone knows the nuisance and unsightliness of discarded bags, not to mention the cost to taxpayers of their collection and disposal and their danger to wildlife.

For all these reasons I, together with my party colleague Bruce Dowling (councillor for Silverhill Ward), will be introducing a motion to Council on 21 February calling for the council to encourage local retailers, businesses and residents to eliminate the use of plastic bags with the eventual aim of making Hastings a plastic bag-free town.  We are not calling for any kind of compulsion but we strongly believe that, as is happening in places as diverse as Brighton, the London boroughs and the village of Modbury in Devon, determined action by the local authority can persuade traders and local people to give up their bags and help make their community a more sustainable one.  

Posted: 11/01/2008

http://www.councillor.info/hastings/dsabetian/0/Default.aspx?pane=cp&md=contentview&mtype=news&itemid=21601&mid=15239

Co-operative Bags!

I've had a reply from the Co-op today which was very positive.  They have offered us a small supply of bags free should we want them, will give us the contact details of the fairtrade supplier for our own supplies should we wish (I've asked for the cost of theirs) and are into doing something jointly in the future.  It would be great to get sponsorship for this, get some bags printed up with our wiki on (or a website if we get that far) and our logos with sponsors logos and give them out free at Priory meadow, Morrisons,  Kings Rd St Leonards, George Street and other sites... we should get good publicity for that.

Paul Thurs 3rd Jan

UPDATE 1/2/08:  The bags are likely to cost 99p each - so we'll need sponsorship for any we get printed up...

Hastings/East Sussex Based permanent bag retailers

Co-op Retails

30-32 London Rd, St. Leonards-on-Sea, TN37 6AN, 01424 427871

4-6 Fairlight Rd, Hastings, TN35 5EA, 01424 432873

9-15 Seddlescombe Road North, Silverhill, TN37 7DA

45-47 Bohemia Road, St Leonards on Sea, TN37 6RE

71-72 High St, Battle, TN33 0AG, 01424 772008

49 Ninfield Road, Sidley, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, TN39 5DZ

22-26 Western Road, Bexhill-On-Sea, East Sussex, TN40 1DX

Little Common, 40-42 Cooden Sea Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, Sussex, TN39 4SL

Sea Road, Winchelsea Beach, Winchelsea, East Sussex, TN36 4NA

ECOBTQ

http://www.ecobtq.com/content/view/12/29/