Shoppers ditch their plastic bags

4:25pm Tuesday 6th May 2008

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SHOPPERS and businesses in Thornbury are giving plastic bags the sack in favour of a greener, more sustainable alternative.

Hundreds of people brought out their old plastic bags for recycling at a plastic bag amnesty held in the town on Saturday.

And after seeing off the environmentally unfriendly bags, many then bought Thornbury's first ever Town Bag, which was also launched at the event.

The bags - made from sustainable grown jute and classified as a Fair Trade product - are hoped to get more shoppers to reduce plastic bag usage.

They were designed by Castle School pupil Anna Head with professional designer Damon Mahoney and were commissioned by Sustainable Thornbury, the town council and the Chamber of Commerce.

Members of Sustainable Thornbury have been busy encouraging the town's shops to move away from plastic bags since a survey in Thornbury showed 97 per cent of people wanted plastic bag usage reduced.

Group spokeswoman Margaret Pinder said: "Both traders and shoppers have shown they are willing to make changes.

"We have had shops starting to charge for bags and even stop giving them out and shoppers now recycling their plastic bags and buying the new sustainable town bag.

"The campaign is proving a success in the town already."

The Town Bags are now on sale at several shops in the town and at the Town Hall for £2.50.