Say no to plastic bags!

Shoppers in Carlisle city centre were reminded about the benefits of reusing shopping bags recently with Resource Cumbria`s Plastic Bag Amnesty.

The event took place outside the old town hall in Carlisle city centre between 10am and 3pm on Wednesday, August 23rd and brand new cotton shopping bags were given away for free to anyone prepared to hand in their old plastic bags.

Plastic bags can be a particular problem because millions of them are given out in shops every year. Not only do plastic bags use valuable resources - up to eight per cent of the world`s oil is used in making plastics - but disposing of them needlessly uses up resources and they can become unsightly and unwelcome litter blowing around our streets.

The amnesty was designed to remind people about the plastic bag problem and provide a reusable cotton bag as an alternative to picking up handfuls of plastic bags on every shopping trip. It was a fantastic success with over 630 visitors receiving cotton bags to reuse when they shop. A whopping 4000 carrier bags were collected and sent for recycling.

We will be looking to hold plastic bag amnesties throughout the rest of Cumbria in the near future so keep checking these pages to find out when Resource Cumbria could be visiting a town near you.