Follow-up on Biodegradable plastic bags – an enquiry

Dear All

Today is UK Plastic Bag Free Day!

You will remember my post of Tuesday, 18 August 2009, entitled "Biodegradable plastic bags – the start of an enquiry", in which I informed you that Sustainable Oban wrote to find out a bit more about Tesco's free biodegradable plastic carrier bags.
Well, here's the answer received yesterday from Tesco Customer Service Centre, Baird Avenue, Dundee DD2 3TN (Ref. 9352035/KS):

"Thank you for contacting us with your enquiry about free carrier bags from our Oban store.
"From looking at our data our store at Oban has reduced the number of carrier bags by a total of 3.5 million since our May 2006 base line – and 1.88m year to date for this financial year.
"We haven't been told or involved in the UK plastic bag free day, so unfortunately it won't be supported by Tesco.
"We have recently changed all our carrier bags from degradable to biodegradable.
"What this means in essence is that we have introduced a different additive into the structure of the bag that will degrade the plastic pretty rapidly – it will become unusable after a year or so. This additive will also degrade the plastic bag down into smaller particles than before.
"This is a two stage process. The plastic degrades over a period of three years into very small particles, which are then ingested by the microbes in the land fill which further degrade the products into their constituent parts; this is biodegradation.
"When the bags were only degradable then they did not degrade down into small enough particles for this microbial action to take place. The carbon chains were just too long. With the new additive the microbial action can now take place, hence the bags are now biodegradable."
"Thanks for taking time to contact us. I hope this information has been helpful.
"Yours sincerely
[signed L Graham]
"For and on behalf of Tesco Stores Ltd
"Lynsey Graham
"Customer Service Manager"

While Tesco's answer is appreciated, please note that their letter does not state the number of free biodegradable plastic bags they still hand out at their Oban store alone. It must be huge if they've managed to reduce the number by almost 2 million bags in this financial year alone! The mind boggles at the number of free bags taken home (and thrown into landfill) by each resident of and visitor to the Oban area.

Please leave your comments on this post.

Yours truly is now off to find out what can be done with SPE (plastic) punnets from the berries and soft fruit we like to eat at this time of year. Over only the past six weeks, an impressive stack of them has accumulated in this one-person household. How do you deal with them?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and I'll keep you posted.

A PBF U.K. Mission Statement

Dear All

Your Oban Plastic Bag Free! blogger takes pleasure in posting here the contents of a PBF U.K. Mission Statement. It is a great idea for forming a Plastic Bag Free Forum to target the U.K. Government.

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No, not a dream but reality within 2 years:
The reason for the Forum is that it will have a direct involvement with the government's Environment Committee, chaired by Hilary Benn and it will serve as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the PBF world in the UK.

Action not words.
Rebecca Hosking from Modbury and Sue Kinsey at MCS agree with me that this is the next, obvious step to take. The PBF U.K Forum will comprise of representatives from every area aiming to go plastic bag free or a representative for a group of communities. Elected by the groups doing the actual work in their locality, the
representatives will have the knowledge and support of their local community.
The Forum aims to build on, and work in conjunction with, the excellent work being done by other groups such as the Google plastic bag free forum.
The Forum will know, from its members, the situation in each area and be able to produce facts and figures for the government’s Environment Committee. I’ve been assured that this group will be listened to from contacts in London and by a direct exchange from those working with [the] Environment Committee.

One voice:
There are various plastic bag free sites such as ‘Abolish Plastic Bags’ and the Google forum site and I want to bring all these groups together. I am contacting all those people responsible for these kinds of websites across the UK as it is better to have a strong, coherent and factual voice, all under one umbrella that will be accepted as an authority on PBF for the UK.

Tony Langham.
01722-328847
grandadforest [AT] btinternet.com
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Please leave a comment on this blog and/or enter Tony's e-mail address manually if you wish to contact him to express your support of his idea.