As someone who has personally been crusading for the reduction on our use of carrier bags because it is wasteful and harmful to the environment I fully support the policy recently announced, to introduce a 5p charge for plastic bags.

This will come into effect in Autumn 2015 and won’t be a moment too soon! This will bring England in line with other parts of the UK. In Wales, where charges have been in place since 2011, there has been an amazing 76% fall in plastic bag use.  The charge will only apply to supermarkets and other large stores, smaller corner shops, will be excluded but I hope they will introduce their own schemes.

The proceeds from the charge will go towards clearing up the environmental damage caused by the bags.

A staggering 8.1 billion thin-gauge (single use) carrier bags were used by supermarket customers in 2012 and unbelievably, since people have been encouraged to voluntarily cut down on the number of carrier bags they use, this was an increase on the previous year.

PLASTIC BAG FACTS:

• Thousands of marine animals and more that 1 million birds die each year as a result of plastic pollution
• plastic bags litter our beautiful landscape and block drains and pipes
• a plastic bag can take 1,000 years to degrade

BENEFIT LOCAL BUSINESS – GET A WILLOW BASKET!

For 27 years I have had the same willow shopping basket, made right here in Somerset by a local manufacturer. It is perfect for keeping in the car and using every time I pop to the local shops and even the supermarket. You would be amazed at home much can be fitted into this one basket!

If every household in our constituency used a locally made Somerset wicker basket think how many carrier bags that would save.  Also how much money you would save by not using carrier bags as well as the  beneficial  knock on effect for the businesses in Taunton Deane making the wicker baskets, employing people, keeping traditional crafts alive and even enhancing the tourist trade based on the willow industry  in places like Stoke St Gregory.