USING plastic shopping bags could become a thing of the past after Euro-MPs agreed to Green proposals to end their use, which creates massive amounts of waste and litter – as well as posing a danger to wildlife and spoiling the environment.<\/p>\n
MEPs agreed that new rules proposed by the European Commission didn’t go far enough, and called for mandatory targets to reduce bag use by 50% in three years and 80% over five, as well as requiring that shoppers pay for their bags.<\/p>\n
London’s Green MEP Jean Lambert said the rules would make a real difference in the capital.<\/p>\n
“Parts of London have discarded shopping bags in trees as far as the eye can see – they are unsightly and dirty and present a real threat to wildlife,” she said.<\/p>\n
“Any measures to dramatically cut their use are to be welcomed: they’ll massively benefit our environment by significantly reducing plastic waste, and quickly.<\/p>\n
“We’ve see, in Ireland, for example, that where plastic shopping bags are taxed, and alternatives provided, their use drops off very quickly, and ambitious targets to reduce them can be achieved: putting a price on single-use bags is a proven and highly effective policy tool for reducing their excessive consumption.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
USING plastic shopping bags could become a thing of the past after Euro-MPs agreed to Green proposals to end their use, which creates massive amounts of waste and litter – as well as posing a danger to wildlife and spoiling the environment. MEPs agreed that new rules proposed by the European Commission didn’t go far […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":3015,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[963,973],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n