Brown urges ban on plastic bags

The Prime Minister announced that he would like to "eliminate" single-use plastic bags from Britain as well as the flimsy paper equivalent.
n his first major speech on the environment and climate change since taking office, Mr Brown said supermarkets had already promised to reduce the "environmental impact" of plastic bags by 25 per cent over the next year.

He said: "I believe we can go further. Indeed, I am convinced that we can eliminate single-use plastic bags altogether in favour of long-lasting and more sustainable alternatives."

More than 13 billion bags are issued every year to shoppers, about 220 per person. Billions find their way into landfill, although they constitute less than one per cent of domestic waste, which experts say makes them more efficient than other forms of packaging.
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