Sack the bag campaign steps up a gear

By David Melsome
Dozens of shoppers and traders supported the start of the campaign to turn East Finchley into a plastic bag free zone but organisers admit there is still a long way to go.
The message that there are alternatives to using a plastic bag every time you make a purchase is starting to catch on, thanks to campaigner and Holy Trinity School mother Sally Swann.

On the official launch day, Saturday 1 December, Sally and her friend Miho sold 90 reusable cloth bags to High Road shoppers. Shops across N2 are starting to sign up to the plastic bag ban and Sally has the backing of REEF, the group set up to promote business and leisure in East Finchley.

However, some of the largest local traders like Budgens, Iceland and the Post Office have yet to lend their support, making it difficult for campaigners to make any real impact on people’s shopping habits.

Any volunteers out there?
Sally now hopes to step up a gear by talking to more retailers about the alternatives to plastic – paper and cornstarch, for example – and by getting the big stores involved. She’s also looking for volunteers to lend her a hand.

Sally said: “Clearly, REEF and I have not yet achieved our goal of making East Finchley a plastic bag free zone but we are not going to give up. We plan to continue promoting the campaign, talk to retailers who have not yet joined in and persuade them to stop offering plastic bags. If anyone would like to help with the campaign by donating some time, we would be most appreciative.” Volunteers can contact Sally by email via info@east-finchley.com.

A fair trade, reusable bag, sponsored by Prickett and Ellis, is on sale at a number of outlets, including the Phoenix Cinema, priced at £2.50 for a small bag and £5.00 for a large shopping bag.

Sally’s campaign was inspired by her own environmental concerns and by the success of a similar drive in Modbury, Devon, where residents and traders pulled together to make it Britain’s first plastic bag free town.
About 1.6bn bags are used in London every year and only one in 200 of these is recycled, according to London Councils, which represents 33 boroughs.

The Archer

Any views published here are those of the original authors, and not necessarily representative of REEF or east-finchley.com

Back