Greener Kingston

This section contains news of growing support, awareness and improving practice in the UK and elsewhere, the most recent at the top. We are delighted that there has been real progress on reducing plastic bag waste since the introduction of the 5p charge - now to tackle plastic beads in our oceans? or the millions of disposable coffee cups that don't get recycled because they are made of mixed material? See Greener Upon Thames Facebook page for regular updates and discussion

For local and less happy news, see stories highlighted in side menu.

2021

Plastic bag charge to double to 10p in all shops in England
The single-use plastic bag charge will rise from 5p to 10p in all shops in England from 21 May. The government said all stores, including local corner shops, will now have to apply the charge from that date. The 5p charge on plastic bags was introduced in England in 2015, and since then their use has fallen by over 95%. 

2016

Plastic bag use plummets in England since 5p charge, BBC News, July 2016 - hurrah!

2014

We give the 5p charge a cautious welcome

5p plastic bag charge announced , 4/6/14
BBC News (UK) @BBCNews <https://twitter.com/bbcnews?refsrc=email>
https://twitter.com/bbcnews/status/473935164553170944?refsrc=email>
Daily Mail front page - "At last! Plastic bags will be banished"
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-27683240

Plan B Update: "The Downfall of the Plastic Bag: A Global Picture" by Janet Larsen and Savina Venkova, May 2014 - an excellent summary of the problem, and current and past global initiatives to combat it. 

"Break the Bag Habit" - Greener Kingston and Greener Upon Thames welcome a new website where you can pledge to refuse single-use bags. See the 9 April 2014 Break the Bag Habit press release here.

"The Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) says the current proposals are "unnecessarily complicated" (Feb 2014) and is pressing for the same regulations as we are (see below). 

2013

September 14, Nick Clegg announces 5p levy on plastic bags! See government press release at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/plastic-bag-charge-set-to-benefit-the-environment and a report on Sky News which includes Mike Glazebrook  of Greener on Thames and local MP Edward Davey. Greener Kingston and Greener upon Thames joined other campaigns in the Break the Bag Habit coalition in welcoming the plans to introduce a 5p charge on single use plastic bags in England, but as details emerged became more critical. Campaigners believe that the charge should follow the model in Wales, which has been shown to be highly effective in reducing the number of single-use bags blighting the natural environment. As in Wales, the charge should apply to all businesses, large or small, with consistency between different shops; if all retailers are included, no single shop will be disadvantaged by the charge - and we note that many small businesses would prefer to be included. We would also like to see a reduction in all single use bags regardless of what they are made of: replacing one free throw-away bag with another made from a different material will not promote the necessary behaviour
changes and good habits, it merely shifts the problem. See some comment about the exemptions at http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-25240097. We also wonder why it will take so long to introduce a charge that has already been extensively and successfully piloted in Wales, and found it disappointing that DEFRA's 2013 on-line consultation on the 5p charge was addressed solely to
businesses, not consumers.

September 4, David Cameron tells campaigning children and an albatross called Stanley that he knows carrier bag charging works - see

A four metre wide albatross made from recycled bottles and children from Stanley Primary School in Teddington met with David Cameron at Downing Street today to tell him about the dangers of plastic pollution and to urge him to introduce a charge on single use carrier bags in England.

Standing on the steps of No.10, the Ecotales group read their poem ‘Dear Albatross’ and gave the Prime Minister a letter from Greener upon Thames detailing the Government’s own figures on carrier bag usage, which confirmed an increase of 12.2% in England between 2010 and 2012 - an increase of over 750 million bags to more than 7 billion per year - whilst in Wales, which has had a charging scheme in place since October 2011, there was an 80% decrease in usage.

Two years ago, the Prime Minister said that any increase in usage was ‘unacceptable’ and that if the number of bags given out in England didn’t decrease he would consider other options, such as introducing a charge. Now, England remains the only home nation not to have taken decisive action to reduce the waste, pollution and blight of single-use bags, with Northern Ireland introducing a scheme in April 2013 and Scotland confirming it will introduce a charge in October 2014.

David Cameron told the group that he knew how successful the scheme was in Wales and that they had come at the right time, as he was just discussing a similar scheme for England – something which CPRE is calling for as part of the Break the Bag Habit campaign.

Zac Goldmsith MP, who attended the event, said: ‘The PM has spoken in the past about the need to take action, and it was reassuring to hear not only that he was discussing the issue today in Number 10, but that he has noted the successful bag charge in Wales. I know many people are looking forward to the next step here in England.’

We say: "Well done, Greener Upon Thames!"

Charge, though not ban, being considered in England (May 2013) - at last say we!

Northern Ireland plastic bag levy could reduce litter, (BBC news, April 2013) - yet another place imposed a levy ahead of England!

"Ecover to turn sea plastic into bottles in pioneering recycling scheme: Green cleaning brand claims plastic trawled from the sea can be used to create fully sustainable and recyclable packaging..." (Guardian, March 2013)

Actor Jeremy Irons is lending his voice to an EU campaign to ban non-recyclable plastics, including plastic bags, in an effort to end the growing mountain of plastic waste in our environment. (C4 News, March 2013)

2012

Higher recycling targets for plastics, aluminium and steel packaging "look set to come into effect from January 2013, after MPs agreed to amended packaging waste regulations in Parliament today (November 27, 2012). The approved regulations would replace existing packaging recycling legislation, which expires at the end of this year, and set recycling and recovery targets through to 2017."

Evening Standard, "City Spy: Zac’s down with the kids in Tesco", 19/10/12  

Zac Goldsmith MP calls for a levy on plastic bags: read and watch at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19977021.

Environmental groups demand plastic bags should be charged, August 1, 2012: England is the only part of the UK which has no plans for a plastic bag charge, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), Keep Britain Tidy, the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) and Surfers Against Sewage are calling for one to be brought in. Reported on August 1 2012 by: The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/aug/01/plastic-bag-levy-supermarkets?newsfeed=true The Press Association http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5i7q3UgBZ_fc35d-owy7pEbmZBr7A?docId=N0139501343730035190A Yahoo news / Sky News http://uk.news.yahoo.com/call-levy-tackle-plastic-bag-scourge-060443797.html BBC Radio 4 Today programme and many many others.

Haiti Bans Plastic Bags and Foam Containers, October 2012 

Daily Mail, 23/9/12: Plastic bag tax: Treasury opposition is the 'last log jam' to imposing a levy, Liberal Democrats claim. Liberal Democrats adopt new policy demanding a charge of up to 10p to fund community food projects. Party environment spokesman Andrew George says resistance from George Osborne is the final hurdle. Treasury insiders insist all options are still on the table. Bag use rose by around five per cent to 6.75billion in 2011-12 despite David Cameron demanding reductions... George Osborne’s opposition to a plastic bag tax is the last remaining barrier to the introduction of a levy in England, Liberal Democrats claimed today as they voted to bolster their ‘weaponry’ against the Treasury’s resistance.The Lib Dem conference backed a motion demanding a levy on all single-use plastic bags, with proceeds to go to community food initiatives.

Letter in Daily Telegraph demands plastic-bag-free Olympics, 26/7/12 

Festivals can be green
Latitude offers priority for car pooling, uses reusable beer mugs and compostable-only items at food outlets, NO plastic bags, and has lots of of recycling/composting points very clearly labelled with free recycling/composting bags for campers etc. See http://www.latitudefestival.co.uk/info/category/latitude_green - and follow their example!

Proof a plastic bag tax works (Daily Mail, 5/7/12): Welsh levy has seen the amount of bags given away fall 96%Wales introduced 5p tax on bags in October last year. Support for the scheme has risen 70% in six months. Scotland and Northern Ireland introducing similar schemes as pressure mounts for England to follow suit.

Tuesday 26 June, a consultation begins in Scotland on proposals to charge shoppers for disposable carrier bags.
The cost could be at least 5p for one, which is hoped to raise as much as £5 million for charity and cut usage by around 80%. It is part of a wider three-month Scottish Government consultation on a range of plans aimed at safeguarding resources through efficient use of materials such as cutting waste and encouraging more positive environmental behaviour.
Our comment: "If Scotland and Wales and Ireland can do it, why can't England?"

 What should be done about plastic bags?, BBC News, 19 March 2012
The European Commission is to publish proposals in the spring designed to reduce the number of plastic bags used in Europe each year. Most of the 15,000 people who took part in a public consultation favoured an outright ban - but what are the options?
Every year 800,000 tons of so-called single-use plastic bags are used in the European Union - the average EU citizen used 191 of them in 2010, the Commission says, and only 6% were recycled.
More than four billion bags are thrown away each year.
"The impact of this plastic waste can be seen littering our landscape, threatening our wildlife and accumulating as 'plastic soup' in thePacific Ocean, which may cover more than 15,000,000 square kilometres," says Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik… 

Coca Cola has announced plans to collect all clear PET plastic bottles at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and recycle them into 80 million new plastic bottles.

A 5p plastic bag tax, rising to 10p in 2014, will be imposed throughout Northern Ireland from next year, The Guardian, 31/1/12: "We want to demonstrate that the Northern Ireland government is dedicated to the clean and green agenda," Alex Attwood, environment minister in the Northern Ireland executive said. "One way to do that is to reduce the 160m plastic bags that are used in Northern Ireland every year." He added: "There is no doubt that carrier bags are a scourge on the environment. Evidence from other countries demonstrates that a bag levy is a simple and effective means to reduce substantially the negative environmental impact of carrier bag consumption…"

EU plans to ban plastic bags - but the Daily Express opposes (too green, too European, would reduce impulse shopping - shame!)

Lewes MP supports plastic bag ban, January.

2011

Plastic bags banned in Seattle, December 19, 2011:  Seattle City Council has passed an impressively broad ban on plastic bags, outlawing them not just in grocery stores, but in department stores, clothing stores, convenience stores, home-improvement stores, food trucks and farmers markets. The bill goes further than bans in other cities. Customers in Seattle will be charged 5 cents for paper bags.

Vivienne Westwood interviewed in The Guardian (3/12/11)  mentions her support of Greener's Olympic campaign: "Her most recent blog posts detail her multifarious radical interests: she backs a fundraising campaign for the Refugee Council, pledges her support for Greener upon Thames, an organisation campaigning to make next year's London Olympics plastic-bag free..."

Minister 'means business' on carrier bag levy for Wales, BBC News, 30/9/11
"Environment Minister John Griffiths says the Welsh Government "means business" on the carrier bag levy…The Welsh Government wants to cut down on the "excessive" number of bags. All shops, from food stores to fashion retailers, will be required by law to introduce the levy, which it is hoped will encourage people to take their own bags shopping. The Welsh Government wants to follow Ireland's example with a 90% reduction in carrier bag use…. "We want to see shoppers avoiding the charge wherever possible by re-using their own bags," he said… Ministers in England,Scotland and Northern Ireland are also considering measures to reduce the use of carrier bags."
See Greener Upon Thames website  press release on this news and our 2012 Olympics campaign.

Tesco agrees to Somersham's plastic bag ban, BBC News, 5/9/11
TheSomershamTescois believed to be the first in theUKnot to offer free bags to customers. A newly-opened supermarket has agreed to support a Cambridgeshire village's ban on disposable plastic bags.

"What do plastic bags and lying politicians have in common? They blight Britain and drive me mad!" John Humphrys in The Daily Mail, 25th August 2011 joins the many eminent people concerned about the waste, pollution and litter caused by plastic bags and the slowness of politicians to tackle the problem.

"Boris calls for plastic bag ban across London in fight against 'poisonous' waste and litter", Daily Mail, 5/8/11

Calls for tax on carrier bags after failure of supermarkets
The Government is looking at a tax on carrier bags in England after the number of shopping bags handed out by supermarkets rose for the first time in five years, Telegraph, 29/7/11.
Our comment: "At last!" 

Another ally in the war against plastic bags - the Archbishop of York reported in The Guardian, July 2011

 Lembit Opek spotted at London   Green Fair, June 2011 (left)with a Greener Upon Thames long-life bag!

Congo has banned plastic bags, June 2011. 
Meanwhile even the USA is stirring: private bill in the House of Representatives to introduce a tax on disposable carryout bags was introduced in April 2011. Why oh why can't we...?

"THE EU was under fire last night for seeking a ban on plastic shopping bags to fight pollution." (Daily Express, 20/5/11) - but not from environmentalists, of course, just the usual suspects: UKIP, British Retail Consortium... Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/247722Ban-shopping-bags-says-EU#ixzz1MuNrtV5o

EC to pay fishermen to catch plastic waste (from European Environment and Packaging Law Weekly)
'The European Commission will, this month, unveil a trial project under which Mediterranean fishermen will be paid to catch plastic waste rather than fish. In a speech last month, Maria Damanaki, EU Fisheries Commissioner, said that under the European Fisheries Fund, "fishermen and stakeholders" would be encouraged to take part in "fishing for litter" initiatives. The idea is to reduce pressure on fish stocks while also contributing to the preservation of the marine environment by rounding up the plastic detritus that is threatening marine life, and send it for recycling.

Damanaki said that the first initiative of this type will be launched on 20 May in France. "In specifics, a pilot project will be launched under the auspices and funding of the European Fisheries Fund and in cooperation with the sectors of fisheries and plastics industry whereby the marine litter will be collected by special fishing vessels and sent for treatment.
"There will be a multiple benefit from this. On the one hand, we will have a visible result in terms of decontamination. Much of the litter collected will be recyclable, so this will also have an extra benefit for the economy. On the other hand, fishermen will be able to engage in an alternative activity which will bring them additional income, especially during the time periods when they stop fishing," she said.

Speaking to EE&PL on 5th May, a Commission official said that initially fishermen who clean plastic waste will be subsidised by member states but that in future "the scheme could turn into a self-sustaining profitable enterprise", as fishermen benefit from the increasing value of recycled plastics.

"Ridding the sea of its plastic waste will also improve the prospects for fish, seabirds and other marine species, which are at risk of ingesting small pieces of non-biodegradable packaging," he said.
The plan, as well as an attempt to handle seaborne plastic waste, is also aimed at pacifying the EU’s fishing industry over a potential prohibition on the wasteful practice of dumping low-value fish at sea.
"Ending this practice of throwing away edible fish is in the interest of fishermen and consumers," the Commissioner added. "It has to happen, we cannot have consumers afraid to eat fish because they hate this problem of discards. People [in the fishing industry] feel insecure because this is a change. That is why they need incentives."
Fleets fear they will lose money by not being able to throw away lower-value catch for which they say there is little demand. A million tons are thrown back each year in the North Sea alone. Fishermen will be paid to land plastic to provide them with income.
"It’s safe to say this could end up replacing significant income for fishermen," the Commission official told EE&PL.
The industry will contribute to the pilot but it is not known how much each fisherman will get. Payments will depend on tonnage and the recycling market.
EE&PL understands that the Commissioner has the backing of key countries like France, Germany, Denmark and the UK and will publish her proposals in the coming weeks for debate by the European Parliament and Council.

UK reactions
In the UK, while Plastic 2020 Challenge, an industry campaign that supports recycling and preventing litter, backed the move, the South West Fish Producers’ Organisation, questioned why payments were necessary, given the success of a voluntary scheme already running in Britain.
"I am glad they are catching up with us," Jim Portus, chief executive of the organisation, said. "Obviously they feel the need to incentivise this scheme in the Mediterranean with a bit of cash encouragement. But ultimately, any cash incentives come from the taxpayer. It seems to me we should be encouraging people to do it for free for the good of the environment.
"The fishermen should want to do it anyway," he added.'

Our comment: "We suppose it's a good thing that more plastic waste will be cleared up and recycled as a result of this incentive - but what a shame that it is necessary!"

Plastic fantastic! Carrier bags 'not eco-villains after all' Independent on Sunday, 20/2/11
Unpublished Environment Agency research shows polythene may be less harmful than cotton or paper.
Our comment: "This would be good news if it were true - but the research only shows that cotton bags that are not resused are worse than plastic (no great surprise there!) and it ignores the damage that plastic bags and other plastic waste does to wildlife and the environment, and the litter they cause."
See also Letters responding to the news.

Celebrities come out against plastic bags
Greener Upon Thames already has two impressive patrons, environmentalist and local MP Zac Goldsmith and British ocean rower, environmental campaigner, and author Roz Savage. Other celebrities are following their example: Richard Branson recently sent a message of support for GUT's Plastic-Bag-Free Olympics campaign, and actress Alison Steadman declared: "I am a great campaigner for not using plastic bags and not using plastic" in The Independent on Sunday on 13/2/11 (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/alison-steadman-im-a-little-bit-pam-but-more-candice-marie-2213124.html). Watch this space for updates on celebrity supporters.

Italy bans plastic bags, beginning January 1, 2011.
Planet Ark reports: Italians use about 20 billion bags a year -- more than 330 per person -- or about one-fifth of the total used in Europe, according to Italian environmentalist lobby Legambiente. Starting on Saturday, retailers are banned from providing shoppers polyethylene bags. They can use bags made of such material as biodegradable plastic, cloth or paper.For more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12097605 and http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/plastic-bags-outlawed-in-italy-from-january-1-2173415.html

2010

Sita to turn plastic into diesel to power vehicles
"Old carrier bags, yoghurt pots and TV dinner packaging will soon be making enough fuel to power 5,000 British white vans – in Europe's first plastic-to-diesel plant..." Daily Telegraph, 8/11/10. Our comment: Better than landfill, no doubt - is this good news?

Malasia takes a lead on banning plastic bags, November 2010 - why don't we follow? "Come Jan 1, plastic bags will be practically banned state-wide. The move – an extension of the current “No Plastic Bag Day” in shopping centres and hypermarkets on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays – means that no plastic bags can be used every day by almost all business sectors. The ruling will cover all hypermarkets, supermarkets, departmental stores, pharmacies, fast food restaurants, nasi kandar outlets, convenience stores including petrol kiosks and chain stores..."

Mayor of London's waste strategy encourages plastic recycling "...the Mayor's draft waste strategy includes giving councils incentives to use re-cycling methods with lower greenhouse gas emissions, rather than basing them on weight. In practice, this will encourage an increase in plastics and metal recycling as well as food and garden waste composting. City Hall estimates the plans could save 1.6 million tonnes of carbon a year, including energy saved from lower manufacturing levels. This is the equivalent of £90 million off the capital's £4.4 billion electricity bill and £24 million off the £2.5 billion gas bill. By 2015, the Mayor wants the capital to be recycling at least 45 per cent of its municipal waste rising to 60 per cent by 2031, sending no municipal waste to landfill by 2025." Evening Standard, 20/10/10

Progress at Tesco: "Leading the way in carrier bag alternatives... We’re all guilty of forgetting to take our reusable bags shopping. But at Tesco, we’ve come up with a variety of ways to encourage you to use fewer carrier bags...
...Bag-free checkouts: We’ve removed carrier bags from displays at tills, placing them out of view beneath the checkout. Carrier bags are only offered if you need them. By removing the bags from view, we hope to encourage you to rethink your habits when shopping and be less reliant on carrier bags."

Italy bans the plastic water bottle along heritage coastline, Telegraph (21 Sep 2010)
Hikers and tourists visiting one of Italy's most scenic stretches of coastline have been banned from carrying plastic bottles of water amid fears that the area is being "buried" in rubbish.

The Council for the Protection of Rural England publishes research on the economic, social and environmental advantages of a UK-wide deposit refund scheme, September 2010
A small deposit would be placed on glass, aluminium and plastic drinks containers to encourage people to return them for recycling, rather than throwing them away as litter or in a bin. You can read a summary of the research and find out more about the positive difference the scheme could make to our environment on the CPRE website.

Dramatic fall in number of plastic bags given out by supermarkets, Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor, The Independent, 26/8/10
"The number of "single-use" plastic bags given to customers by leading UK supermarkets has fallen for the fourth year in a row...The total has dropped from 10.6 billion in 2006 to 6.1 billion in the year to May, a reduction of 43 per cent, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) said." But the Indy Business page that day is more sceptical, and a leader calls for a ban. See Leading article: Ban the bags and James Moore: Bags are a problem, whatever the BRC says.

• helping reduce highly visible plastic bag litter;
• substantially reducing the amount of single use carrier bags;
• lessening the impact on the environment from single use carrier bags;
• encouraging more sustainable behaviour which will help towards combating climate change by increasing environmental awareness.”