Lip service is paid to making the corporate world accountable for it's environmentally destructive behaviours by such things as the The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2005 but, as with all things, they are largely left alone to continue their environmentally destructive ways because heaven portend that anything should get in the way of their profits. So it's off to hell in hand basket on the downward spiral to environmental disaster. They should be made to take responsibly and pay for all this bloody waste and not just pass that responsibilities onto us. This is being taked about as “producer responsibility” and it is the latest “big idea” in waste policy. The concept of producer responsibility is based on the principle that producers become responsible for the collection and treatment of their products once they are discarded. The idea behind this concept is that producers will then make better recyclable products which contain less hazardous components and materials. Also the cost of separate collection and recycling will become part of the product-price. Ideally products which are more easily recoverable would then become cheaper then products which are not. Yeah right! Anyway back to the plastic bags.........Countries that have banned or taken action to discourage the use of plastic bags include Australia, Bangladesh, Ireland, Italy, South Africa and Taiwan. Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India, also has banned the bags. The French parliament has begun moves to ban all non-biodegradable packaging from 2010. Plastic bags have been banned in parts of Asia because they have repeatedly been clogging drains. For a corporate media take see: BBC NEWS | BBC NEWS Ireland introduced a levy of 10p on bag one sold. This has reduced the number sent to landfill and means they account for just 0.22 per cent of all litter - rather than five per cent previously. It has also resulted in a more widespread use of readily recyclable paper bags For Update see http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74674 Every year, an estimated 17½ billion plastic bags are given away by supermarkets. This is equivalent to over 290 bags for every person in the UK. See also: http://www.wasteonline.org.uk/topic.aspx?id=19 Most of them go straight to landfill and a very small percentage of plastic bags are actually recycled. A reduction in our use of plastic bags is essential in solving the environmental problems stemming from them. Municipal waste treatment in the EU is 49% landfill 18% incineration 33% bin kerbside recovery. Plastic packaging can take between 100 and 400 years to rot away in a landfill site. (some plastics up to 1000 years). There is virtually no market for recycling plastic bags so very few kerbside recyclable bin collections accept plastic bags because they are of little recyclable value. Plastic bags are manufactured from by-products of gas or oil refining, ie a non-renewable resource. The energy consumed in the manufacturing process for one bag, plus the energy content of the bag (the embodied energy) is calculated as : Fuel consumed by driving a car 1 kilometre is equivalent to 8.7 bags; or Fuel consumed by driving a 28 tonne articulated truck 1 kilometre is equivalent to 64.6 bags. About 100,000 whales, seals, turtles and other marine animals are killed by plastic bags each year worldwide, according to Planet Ark, an international environmental group. Some companies - like the Co-op - have started producing bio-degradable plastic bags which can only be a good thing. None is better I say, what's wrong with taking a shopping bag (made from fairtrade organic cotton of course). Why not take all unnecessary packaging off your purchases and leave it in the shop. For years, when buying her daily newspaper my partners mum always used to ostentatiously shake out all the advertising and miscellaneous rubbish out of the paper and leave it in the shop, often to the bewilderment of the people in the shop. Yeah - way to go mum........... Well I could go on.. but I won't..........well not for now anyway.............I'll be back......... You can always come along to the free Art from Recycling workshops at the Sumac Centre 245 Gladstone Street, Forest Fields, Nottingham on 1st and 3rd Sunday where you can decorate your bin, learn Tetrapac Crafts - make your own wallet or purse, or bring colourful plastic bags for weaving. Further Info: http://www.mcspotlight.org/campaigns/current/osib_leaflet.html has info about fast food packaging http://www.dumpthedump.org.uk/takeitback.html has a have a standard letter available for you to download and send to your local supermarket If you are up for some heavy reading see Compendium ACR+ 2006 General Information : Community Recycling Network www.crn.org.ukTo find out how to set up a local recycling project. Friends of the Earth booklet http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/waste_and_recycling_booklet.pdf Recoup www.recoup.org Plastics recycling Recycling Appeal www.recyclingappeal.com Recycles old and unused mobile phones and printer cartridges. Recycle more www.recycle-more.co.uk They have a bank locator, where you can type your postcode and a map of your local recycling banks is displayed. Rethink Rubbish www.rethinkrubbish.com National waste awareness campaign Reuze www.reuze.co.uk Comprehensive recycling, reuse and repair website Waste Watch www.wastewatch.org.uk A national organisation that educates, informs and raises awareness on waste reduction, reuse and recycling. Women's Environmental Network