CONSERVATIVE chiefs across Worcester are bidding to make the city the first in the country to ditch plastic bags for good as part of an ambitious plan to take care of the environment.
The scourge of ‘single use’ plastic bags has been much reported in recent months with programmes such as David Attenborough’s Blue Planet 2 highlighting the damage such items are doing to the natural world.
A 5p charge was introduced for plastic carrier bags in 2015 and although the number of shoppers using them has dropped, local Tories want to step up efforts to rid Worcester of plastic bags altogether.
The aspiration is partly down to former Mayor of Worcester Dr David Tibbutt who has been to Rwanda to carry out medical work on many occasions and was impressed by the absence of plastic bags and litter-free streets.
“I can’t understand why, if a nation as small and poor as Rwanda can tackle the menace of single use plastic bags, then why can’t we do so in the world’s 6th biggest economy? There must be more we can do,” he said.
His calls were backed by Coun Alan Feeney, Conservative vice chairman of the City Council’s Environment Policy Committee who said “David is spot on with this. Each year more than eight million tonnes of plastic enters out oceans with devastating results on marine life.”
“I personally would like to see plastic bags phased out in favour of a biodegradable, reusable alternative. It is actually very simple to accomplish this and I will investigate the ways in which local businesses, city leaders and partners can work together make this happen.”
“In 2015, the Conservative government introduced the 5p charge for plastic carrier bags and this has seen a marked reduction in plastic bag use.”
“By getting businesses on side, people could actually save money as bags would no longer be plastic and therefore potentially not liable to the 5p charge.
“Let’s really get behind this and make Worcester the first city to go plastic bag free.”
