Plastic Bag Free -- Resources, Information

Some 'hard' information concerning the negative impact of plastic bags and plastic waste.

We wish to emphasise the fact that we follow in Modbury's excellent footsteps and use free available research and information on the devastation caused by plastic worldwide.

All the suppliers we recommend to our shops have an excellent environmental performance and come highly recommended by the founder of Modbury's Plastic Bag Free campaign, Rebecca Hosking.

As for the hotly debated "bio-plastic" (PLA7), the London Bio Packaging Website explains that bio-plastic is NOT a plastic but made from 100% biodegradable starches. PLA7 has the properties of plastic and is therefore classified among plastics:
"Bio-plastic is fully recyclable. It is registered as a number 7 recyclable plastic. In fact, where a PET product can only be made out of 25% recycled material bio-plastic can be made out of 100% recycled material.
"Will PLA contaminate the recycling stream? No, as long as bio-plastics make up less than 1% of all plastics they won’t affect the quality of recycled products. In addition, roughly 10% of recycling centres in the UK have machines that can sort bio-plastic from PET and HDPE. With increasing environmental pressures more are expected to follow. The more PLA is used the more recycling centres will want to install the correct sorting facilities. An upwards spiral has started."
(from http://www.londonbiopackaging.com/disposal?page=0%2C1, accessed on Sept 19, 2008)


For more on the devastation caused by plastic, see the following striking documentaries:

• Synthetic Seas
and
• Hawai'i - message in the waves
Documentary from BBC Natural History Unit
50 minutes
Trailer (from here to ***, as found on http://www.messageinthewaves.com/):
[It] is a film from the BBC Natural History Unit looking at some of the environmental challenges facing the people and wildlife of the Hawaiian Islands.
Although the documentary is from a Hawaiian perspective it is really a global film. Because of their size, location and social history, the Hawaiian Islands represent a microcosm of the planet and are in a unique position to tell all of us where we are going wrong and what we can do to help put things right.
There are many messages in the waves but the one we learned in Hawai'i that we feel requires immediate attention is that of global plastic pollution. We have put this website together to provide some more information about the problem and how you as an individual can directly help!!! Please look at our action and links page for helpful tips. Take inspiration from towns in the UK that are now going plastic bag free due to watching this documentary. You see you can make a direct difference.!!
'Kuleana' - privilege AND responsibility. Although we made the film, this is an unofficial web companion and does not reflect the views of the BBC.
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The BBC site also has a torrent download link.