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We were awarded funds from UnLtd in 2008 to enable the printing of awareness-raising resources. See our flier here and our till magnet here.Towards a Plastic-Bag-Free Kingston is a member of the Kingston Eco-Footprint Working Group and Transition Town Kingston. We were commended in the 2008 Green Guardian Awards and support Paint the Town Green 2009.
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 The wider environmental impact of bags - |
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COMMENDED GREEN PROJECT, GREEN GUARDIAN AWARDS 2008
We aim to achieve a plastic-bag-free Kingston upon Thames, by raising awareness of the harm plastic does to the environment and of the alternatives. We also support plastic-bag-free shops and zones in Kingston. We encourage retailers to stop giving out plastic and other throw-away bags and to stock and give away or sell the alternatives: long-life shopping bags and starch-based bags for food and waste. We encourage shoppers to request, buy and use these alternatives.
We offer information to shoppers and retailers about a range of alternatives and where to obtain them. Our information pages are regularly updated so do please revisit or register to be notified of updates.
We are told that shops will only stop giving away plastic bags when consumers ask them to - so please do ask them to, in person by refusing bags when shopping or by writing to stores, especially their head offices (some addresses here). Things are moving in a greener direction - let's help them!
Saturday September 12 2009 is scheduled for a national plastic-bag-free day, and we will be part of it (see here for more information).
"Plastic bags are a small part of a much bigger problem - the litter we see around us and the long-term effects of our throwaway life-styles on the environment and wildlife,” says co-ordinator of the campaign, Marilyn Mason. “but giving them up is one of the easiest ways for both shops and shoppers to make a difference. We don't need so many of them, and bags lying on our roadsides or floating in the river are not good advertisements for the retailers that supply them. I hope that raising awareness about their impact will encourage shoppers to get into the habit of taking a bag with them and retailers to stop giving them out automatically."
