Plymouth Lib Dems welcome new 5p plastic bag charge

Plymouth Liberal Democrats will be outside supermarkets next week showing support for the new plastic bag charge that is introduced on Monday 5th October. They will be giving out their own biodegradable bags to shoppers who are hard up or who object to the charge.

"This is a charge that Liberal Democrats in Government fought to introduce and we are showing our support for that. The charge has been introduced iun Wales, Northern Ireland and in Scotland, and it's long overdue here in England," said Hugh Janes, the chair of the party in the city.

Plastic bag use in Wales fell 81 per cent last year and millions of pounds were raised for good causes though the 5p charge. "This is a win-win," said local Lib Dem Steve Guy. "Not only will charities receive a large boost to their incomes but Plymouth City Council will save thousands in litter collection."

Facts about plastic bags:

• The taxpayer is set to save £60 million simply through there being less litter to be picked up
• Supermarkets in the UK gave out 7.6 BILLION plastic bags last year
• Most plastic bags don't break down naturally in the environment once they've been thrown away
• It can take centuries for a plastic bag to degrade and then only into small bits of plastic
• 94 per cent of birds in the area of the North Sea have been found to have plastic in their stomachs
• The average home has 40 plastic bags - somewhere!
• An estimated that the new charge will raise £73 million each year for good causes

Hugh rang most of the large supermarkets and met with a positive response about the charge and enthusiasm for the extra money it will raise for charities. Most of the big chains will announce the beneficiaries on Monday.