London to ban the free plastic bags

Shoppers in British Capital could soon be forced to buy reusable carry bags as part of a push to ban free throwaway plastic bags.

A group of 33 local London councils has teamed up to demand
the British government stop retailers giving away plastic bags to the millions
of shoppers. They believe a ban will dramatically reduce the estimated 1.6
billion plastic bags used by Londoners each year, many of which are thrown away
after just one use. Retailers branded the move as "extreme and
misguided" and vowed to lobby the government against going ahead with the
ban.But the head of the London Councils group, Merrick Cockell, said retailers
should be made to sell reusable bags to customers and pass on the money raised
to environmental projects. A survey by London Councils two months ago found
91.5 per cent of Londoners supported either a tax or outright ban on plastic
bags, which can take 400 years to break down in landfill sites.

But the British Retail Consortium believes there is no need
for a ban, arguing it will only inconvenience shoppers if it is introduced: "If
somebody is going to go into a supermarket or convenience store, it's hard to
see in practical terms, unless they have brought a bag with them, how they will
be able to buy more than a few items. "So in that sense it could have an
effect on sales."
Many smaller towns across Britain have already introduced
their own voluntary plastic bag bans.