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We call upon our readers to help in our campaign to reduce the number of plastic bags they use. There are many good reasons for doing so, not least the damage to the environment that can be, and is, caused.
Most plastic bags in use are not bio-degradable, and can take over 1,000 years to degrade - this figure is debatable as proof cannot be provided at this time. But certainly it is recognised that they will exist for many generations after present human life has gone.
Therefore, we are in fact leaving it for successive generations to clear up our mess - as we do with many other areas where we treat the environment with contempt.
Plastic bags are costly to produce. On an individual basis, each bag likely costs almost nothing, but retailers who issue them for their customers do not buy bags from manufacturers one at a time, they buy in bulk. And buying in bulk means that a cost can be identified and retailers will readily confirm it is a significant amount.
The manufacture of plastic bags uses resources that can be put to better use for other products. With so many items now being made in plastic, producing something that has such a short life, only to be thrown away, does not make sense practically, economically or environmentally.
It is up to every individual to assist in our campaign. Supermarkets claim their customers demand prepackaged goods are bagged separately, despite the items being wrapped in plastic or tinned. It does not make sense to make such demands of supermarket staff, who will know that if they do not comply, will be complained against.
The public must change their wasteful use of plastic bags; the alternatives are to charge a fee as deterrence, or ban their usage,
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