Plasticbagfreebrighton.co.uk is pleased to announce a brilliant result for the campaign, the site and for Brighton & Hove.
Following an overwhelming majority vote in favour of the motion, Brighton & Hove Councillors have launched an official bid to ban plastic bags from the city. The local authority is lobbying the government, the city's three MPs and the Local Government Association for an outright ban on plastic bags in Brighton & Hove.
The continued efforts of this and similar campaigns across the city, holding talks and meetings with local councillors Gill Mitchell and Amy Kennedy, has helped bring this about.
Click here to read the full article in the Argus.
So what happens now?
We're obviously delighted with the result but the emphasis on individual responsibility is not diminished! A ban will take time to implement, so we can all support our local retailers by continuing to use reusable bags in the meantime.
Keep raising awareness
There are so many benefits to you, your business, the local community and the global community of becoming the first plastic bag free city. Keep raising that awareness - this isn't my campaign it's ours. Plasticbagfreebrighton.co.uk is a resource, spread the word by forwarding this email to your mates, family, colleagues and keep this issue buzzing!
Need a reminder why plastic bags are an issue?
Watch this great short film to see why: PLASTIC PLANET: THE CURSE OF THE CARRIER BAG
• A person uses a plastic carrier bag on average for only 12 minutes*
• A plastic bag can take between 500 to 1000 years to break down in the environment
• Plastic bag litter is lethal in the marine environment, killing at least 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year. After an animal is killed by plastic bags, its body decomposes and the plastic is released back into the environment, where it can kill again
• In the UK at least 200 million plastic bags end up as litter, potentially ending up on our beaches, streets and parks ever year
• Contrary to popular belief...plastic shopping bags aren't FREE...they are a cost to retailers, to our environment and to us...and we could do without them, as there are many other sustainable alternatives to use instea
• 47% of windborne litter escaping from landfills is plastic - much of it plastic bags
• Plastic bags do not biodegrade, they photodegrade - break down into smaller and smaller bits, contaminating soil, waterways and oceans, and entering the food chain when ingested by animals
Plastic Bag Free Brighton success
