Labour's campaign on Plastic Bags supported by the City Council

28 April 2008 - from the Cambridge Evening News by Stephen Exley

City councillors have unanimously backed a motion calling on traders to stop handing out free plastic bags.

The move was proposed by Councillor Stuart Newbold, environmental services spokesman for the Labour group, who said it would lead to the end of free non-biodegradable bags being handed out in the city by 2010.

Cllr Newbold said: "What this says to the world is that Cambridge cares.

"Labour is asking the Lib Dem administration to provide leadership. And the leadership involved isn't too onerous or costly.

"It means giving people and organisations the framework they require in order to achieve a very laudable objective - the objective of ridding Cambridge of unnecessary plastic carrier bags."

The motion was supported by both parties, but Cllr Colin Rosenstiel, executive councillor for environmental services, said more must be done to tackle the problem of waste.

He said: "Cambridge City Council has been using reusable bags for years, and we intend to encourage everyone to do the same thing.

"We're also trying to get local retailers and national chains with outlets in Cambridge to reduce packaging in general and to provide customers with long-lasting cloth bags.

"Plastic bags are only part of a bigger issue. We're working hard to promote recycling throughout the city and to provide people with everything they might need to recycle."

A survey by the Market Research Bureau found if supermarkets stopped giving away plastic bags, 14 per cent of people would be prepared to pay £2 or more for re-usable woven bags, which would last up to a year.

Also, 65 per cent would pay between 50p and £1, and 11 per cent thought 20 pence was a fair price.

In January, Girton became the first community in the region to ban plastic bags.