Bags more ideas like this one

Jul 26 2005 By Evening Gazette

The plague of plastic bags littering our streets and clogging up landfill sites for scores of years was what I banged on about in this column last week.

This followed a recent trip I had taken to Dublin where most retailers hand out paper bags as, in a bid to discourage the use of plastic carriers, shoppers are charged 10p for each one with the money going into the Government's coffers.

I am going back to the subject this week because I have found that business here in the North-east is trying to become more green and is doing something about the fact that it can take up to 100 years for plastic bags to break down at rubbish tips.

I learnt this after picking up some groceries at my local North Eastern and Cumbrian Co-op store.

The plastic bag I was given had the following printed on it in such big letters you could not fail to miss it:

"This bag is 100pc degradable* but you can still re-use it!

"*From the date of manufacture the plastic will start to degrade in approx 18 months time.

"This whole process will take about three years. See bottom of bag for date of manufacture."

I don't usually scrutinise such things, but this prompted me to examine the bottom and I found out the bag had been made in April.

If my memory serves me right there had been talk of introducing a similar levy in this country following Ireland's success, but I am not aware that it has come to anything.

But it is encouraging to see that some businesses are taking matters into their own hands and making an effort when it comes to environmentally-friendly initiatives.