Environment Minister backs international plastic bag free day

Environment Minister Jane Davidson is calling on Welsh shoppers to ditch their plastic bags this Saturday and support the world's first Plastic Bag Free Day.

Ms Davidson said:

“Wales alone used an estimated 480 million plastic bags last year and the numbers used globally enter the billions. We cannot go on using up our precious resources like this. These bags can take between 500 to 1,000 years to degrade and can be seen across Wales littering our towns and countryside.

“It would be great if people across Wales could support this special day by taking their own reusable bags with them when they visit the shops. If all of us could ditch our plastic bags for just one day we could create a lifetime habit that will benefit our planet.”

The Welsh Assembly Government has put forward proposals to introduce a charge on single use carrier bags. The charge has been suggested as between 5 – 15p. People still have an opportunity to have their say on the plans by visiting the consultations area of our website or attending the final public consultation event in Swansea on the 17th September. The consultation closes on the 21st September.

The Republic of Ireland introduced a charge in 2002 and they have seen huge over 90 per cent reduction in the amount of single use plastic bags.