What is all the fuss about?
Here in Germany plastic bags haven't been given away by food supermarkets for years. We've used cloth bags for small purchases and otherwise wheel the shopping trolley to the car boot and pile the goods into boxes [ recycled cartons, plastic crate types etc].
The stores have to supply containers so shoppers can unpack any unwanted wrappings on leaving the shop, avoiding the need to fill and add to the pay-to-throw costs of their bins at home.
Plastic bottles are sold mostly with a deposit refunded on return [ machines read and accept these and give a 'bon' to be exchanged in the store].
Bins at home are emptied every other week and people learn to clean out various items before binning. It surely encourages less food wastage. People with gardens can compost waste.
Fly tipping is rare and we don't have CCTV cameras watching our every move.
A lot of this is a matter of common sense.
Come on Brits. Stop wingeing and get on with saving the planet.

Margaret, Cologne, Germany

Well done to you Rebecca!
I hope your postitive initiative and energy reach all villages, towns and cities cross the UK and other countries.
I often ask anyone who'll listen "how long does a plastic bag take to make?". The reply (even from from leading retail buyers who buy millions of them every day) is usually "3-4 seconds, 5-6 days or 8-10 weeks". The answer is..... "200 million years give or take a million years or two". Then the penny drops, but unfortunately in the cut and thrust of retail buying in this competive cost-driven business, the true cost of anything is not always taken into account. I'm please to say that this behaiour is beginning to change with certain retailers and brands who see true value in CSR leadership.
Bags can now be made from a wide range of annually renewable and sustainable crops (without nasty chemical intervention) which can perform just as well as plastic. The good news is that hey need not cost a penny more. E-mail me if you'd like more info.

Ian Bates/PortaBrands Ltd, Maldon, UK

This is so uplifting! Something can be done! I've been thinking on this problem for months now. How can we invoke change on something so simple as a plastic bag? Here in the US, people are buying the Toyota Prius like there's no tomorrow, which is great, yet we still haven't realized how something so small can affect so much. I'm so excited to hear about Rebecca's work!
I'm not sure I'll be able to get a hold of her documentary, would be fantastic if it were online, as another reader has suggested.

Brooke Williams Buffington, Santa Monica, CA, USA

Well done Rebecca on initiating the reduction of the use of plastic bags in your home town. I saw the programme you did for the Natural World in Hawaii. Thank you for bringing to light just what we are doing to this gorgeous planet and all the amazing wildlife we are destroying. Without programmes like yours informative, hard hitting and in your face many people would be blissfully unaware of how our everyday lives affect wildlife far and wide all over the globe and their environments. Lets starting making a difference before it's too late...! Thank you too to Gail Simmons who highlighted the Downing Street Petition for tax to be
added to plastic bags. If possible please could you send some photos taken in Hawaii highlighting the problems so that these could emailed out with the Petition, hopefully this would encourage more people to sign once they see the devastating results of our throw away plastic lifestyle. Petition link : http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/plastictax/.

Tracie, Epping, Essex

Dear Rebecca, I want to educate my local store where I work to become Plastic bag free zone. It is an enormous company earning multi-millions of pounds a year. At the moment, they have come up with a plan of “a bag for life”. These are 10pence each to buy and are STILL plastic. When people “forget” their bag, they either buy a new one or simply go back to the old way of having a plastic bag- this to me is frustrating because A) There is no POSTIVE gain-only profits B) More PLASTIC bags are being produced due to “bag for life” and are marketed to look like a step in the right direction when in actual fact I think it’s a step backwards.
In the store I work in we now have hundreds of plastic bags a day going out (because there is no limit- or charge)
I am 17 years old and currently researching ways of replacing plastic bags and looking at different types of materials- such as corn starch, recycled paper etc. I am trying also to find the time with a friend to produce a leaflet and a questionnaire of people who would object to using something that wasn’t plastic and then trying to educate them further if they are negative.
The public is one thing but my store is another. I am seriously interested in trying to convince management that we NEED to change our ways, but have no clue how. How did you start out? How much are recyclable bags to be made? How do I get a single manager to listen and be involved?
Please write back.

charlotte, N/A, UK

My son lives in France, and the supermarkets in his area do NOT supply plastic bags. Everyone has to buy a shopping bag, which is re-used time and time again. If you forget your bag, too bad. You are then stuck with having to pack your entire shop into a supermarket trolley, take it to the car, and unpack it piece by piece, and once home, you have to unpack each item all over again.

Do this a few times, and believe you DO NOT FORGET your bags!!!!

Well done to your little town.

Coral Hill
Braintree, Essex

Coral Hill, Braintree, U.K.

The Downing Street website has an on-line petition for anyone to sign, asking for a small tax on plastic bags. A similar tax in Ireland has reduced the use of plastic bags by 90% since 2002. Here's the link: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/plastictax/. Please sign it and make plastic bag reduction part of the Government's policy!

Gail Simmons, Oxford, UK

We think it is a great idea and we would like to do the same in our town in France after seeing a report about it on national French television last night. I am a 14-year old scholgirl and would like to get my biology teacher and class invovled in a project to ban bags from our town but we do not have access to the BBC so cannot see the film. Would it be possible to get photographs, for example, to show to our local shopkeepers as most of them dont speak English anyway.

Juliette Deseilligny, Fontainebleau, FRANCE

Dear Rebecca,
Just passing on the news that Kate and Millie have just made the finals of the United Nations Australian World Environment Day 2007 awards for their project of making our local shopping centre plastic bag free. They were up against adults from around Australia and so it was exciting that 2 13 year old's made the final 3 in the Individual Award section . Hopefully this will help raise publicity to move the project forward to achieving the target of an 80% reduction as we have found it requires continual work to keep everyone motivated to bring in their reusable bags and to phase out plastic bags.
We still hope the ABC here shows your film.Good luck with your plastic bag free journey.

Fiona Broderick, Middle Park, Australia

Well done Rebecca, and congratulations to Modbury - what you have achieved is really impressive.
It pains me the way that all shops automatically put anything you buy straight into a small bag or carrier bag without even asking if you want one! Why is this still happening?? All shops should train their staff to ask first. Plus they should charge for new bags. Both those measures would make people think twice and bring their own bags, as I have done for years. It's not hard! Also I have a nylon carrier size bag which folds into a tiny pouch 6x12cm which a German friend gave me and it's fantastic. They are made by Ideen Welt, and can fit in the smallest handbag so no excuses!
I really hope the whole country follows Modbury's example soon, but it should not be up to individual towns - the government and supermarkets must take the lead on this.

Juliet, London, England

Please, please, please, can you write a manual of how other people can follow your fantastic example.. we are trying to make Thame in Oxfordshire plastic bag free, any help would be wonderful. I am committed to a plastic free policy in my shop, and have done so since we opened in 2005, but to get the whole town to join in, that would be a beautiful thing.. please help.... Thank you
Thame First

Claire Billsborough, Thame, Oxfordshire

Fantastic work Rebecca. Wanted to watch the program on Sunday but the snooker over ran. Where can I get hold of this?

Lisa Jenkin, taunton,

Rebecca in Modbury again...

Thanks Mr Rolt for the thumbs up... which other Tim in Modbury is that going to be..:)
To answer Fiona's question ... message in the waves, is in the Natural World series...
A BBC series that BBC worldwide picks up, so its gets shown around the globe.
I know ABC show Natural Worlds but when..??I have no idea ..it will be on some point this year..
sorry I can't be more help
Rebecca

rebecca Hosking, Modbury, UK

Dear Rebecca,
Terrific work. My 13 year old daughter Kate and her friend , Millicent ,after attending a UNEP Children's Environmental Summit In Japan in 2005, decided to also make our suburb plastic bag free. They obtained support from our local traders, Mayor, council and Minister for the Environment and raised money to order 5000 reusable bags that they designed ,at 90 cents each from China and 5000 paper bags.It was launched at a Community Festival in 8/06 and 2000 bags were distributed. They also obtained a Layne Beachley Grant to attend the UNEP 2006 Conference in Malaysia to present their project .They have reduced plastic bag usage by over 34% in 4 months ,a saving of over 180,000 bags per annum and are now charging $1 per bag to make the project sutainable. The hardest thing is to keep the community and traders motivated to continue the reduction and so it was a fabulous idea to show your film locally to obtain support. Is there any way we in Australia can acess the film ?

Fiona Broderick, Middle Park, Australia

You can watch Rebecca's film on Sunday night BBC 2 6.10pm
Its called- Hawaii message in the waves.

We all watched it here, and thats why we will never use a plastic bag again.

Tim , Modbury, UK

(Rebecca in Modbury)

Hiey Guys,
Thank you so much for all your support and kind words we are all so amazed by this!!!, things here are still a little crazy but for some help to answer your questions please log onto to two sites
www.plasticbagfree.com and www.messageinthewaves.com
If you want a copy of the film I worked on the please set your video recorders for Sunday BBC 2 6.10pm..

My very best wishes to you all

rebecca Hosking, Modbury, UK

Well done Rebecca for having the determination to do something about this insidious menace. Many of us have had experiences when away from home that we aren't happy about but very few of us keep the momentum going once back at home. I live in Devon and am only too aware of the plastic waste that is discarded daily, most noticably on our beaches and moors. I'd really like to be involved in an action group to outlaw the free plastic carrier bag here in Bovey Tracey. To that end I have contacted my Town Council to encourage them to arrange a viewing of the video Rebecca filmed. But how do I get hold of a copy please??

Lin Lambell, Bovey Tracey,

What a superb idea, I congratulate Rebecca on her foresight. This should now be picked up by the major supermarkets, who should extend this scheme to all their stores, without the usual eye to profit, by paying the manufacturers a fair price! The condition of our planet demands that we all take responsibility for our own actions too. How can people living outside Modbury buy these bags?

Peter, Upton, Pontefract, England

I work in a small market town in Cornwall which is currently going through a major redevelopment. We are also going for Market and Coastal Towns recognition which is all about working with the community and going towards sustainable tourism. We recently held an event which looked at Water minimisation and soon we have a Clay Trails Challenge which promotes cycling and a healthy lifestyle. I think St Austell would benefit from a project such as this to give the town more recognition in sustainability and also help promote the town and surrounding area during the difficult period whilst redevelopment is taking place. How do I contact Rebecca Hosking to get some more information?

I also personally understand the need to protect the environment and use old or a Bag for Life whenever possible. It doesn't take much to put a few old bags in the car for when you go shopping. We have to protect the environment for our children and the time to do it is now!!!

Debbie Osborne, St Austell, Cornwall,

I think this is a fantastic idea! I encountered something similar in Ireland, whereby in supermarkets you had to pay extra for plastic bags so people would re-use bags or get there own so as not to pay the extra. There's too much rubbish in the world!!
Anyway, I would like to support this idea and buy one of the Official Modbury bags? who would I need to contact??

Mitch Low, London,

I would like to congratulat Miss Hoskins.
In certain stores, in the USA, put thier customers shopping into brown paper bags, no doubt from a recycling source,so why can't we? at least when it gets wet it rots down and is no threat to wildlife.
Now that the Co-Operative Stores are with this terrific schym
why not include the entire UK.
Rebecca, you have opened the eyes of the world and I realy hope the world will co-operate.

Well done love xx

Terence Warner, Saundersfoot, Pembrokeshire

I was living in Ireland when they imposed a plastic bag levy and saw for myself the impact on the environment. People bought reusable bags and carted them to the shops to avoid paying for the plastic alternative.

Having recently relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio I still use my bags from Ireland at the supermarkets here and nearly every time I shop, I am asked about my bags.

I am trying to get interest going here and the plight of the sea creatures is a good one to champion, though it will no doubt prove a hard sell in a virtually land-locked state like this one. Are Rebecca Hoskins' films or photos available to see? I'd be interested to find out more. Until then I commend her efforts and support a global move away from plastic shopping bags.

karen mcgarry, cincinnati, ohio, usa

Well Done!!! Hopefully this "revolution" will spread across the UK. For my part, I will spread the word and you never know, maybe Whitstable, Kent could follow Modburys' excellent example. If I lived in Modbury, I would be so proud.

Carole Thompson, Whitstable, UK

I am totally for the ban and think that it should already be in force across the whole of the UK. If these bags were known to have an equivalent impact on the health of children as they do on marine life, they would have been banned a long time ago.

I would also like to suggest that should a ban come into place, individuals such as Mr Synnock who reuse supermarket plastic bags to dispose of domestic waste could instead purchase degradable and biodegradable bags. I use these and they are readily obtainable from outlets such as health food stores, or via mail order on the internet.

I also agree with those who have suggested that the images of the affected wildlife should be published in the media with commentary so that people are aware of the impact of throwing away plastic bags. This may persuade some people to go for the alternatives.

Rachel Gregory, Liverpool, England

Totnes, just a few miles from Modbury, is very eco-friendly. We would love to do something like this. How do we contact Rebecca and find out the best way of getting this done. The process has already been carried out in Modbury and has obviously worked well enough to get everyone off and running. So we are keen to pinch those ideas.

Carol, Totnes, England

Brilliant. I've been following developments in San Francisco and Leaf Rapids (Canada) closely but didn't expect it to happen in an English town anytime soon.

WELL DONE MODBURY. You should rightfully be proud. Let's hope that you set a standard for the rest of the nation to live up to and eradicate plastic bags forever.

Bring Your Own Bag Campaign

Tom Wright, London,

Good to see my home town leading the way. So congratulations to all the traders.
I'd like to see the the banning of plastic bottles and disposal nappies next please?

G, Modbury,

Ashton Hayes in Cheshire has gone GREEN in a different way. Perhaps Modbury should join with Ashton Hayes and set an example for us townies? A greener future might protect that future for kids of this world. At present they think that the stars at night are movie SFX. Conservation is the key and Modbury with Ashton Hayes are showing the way. We should all follow their example.

Graham, Timperely, Cheshire

Well done Modbury and it is good to see Devon taking the lead, but please do note it is not just about the marine environment - and that this is not recognised in many of the stories about Modbury and the plastic bags published today . You only have to walk any street in or around any town, village in the UK to find discarded plastic, tins etc in the hedgerows - not a good example for the host nation of the next Olympics when millions of people may visit this 'green and rubbish tarnished' land!.

We need to educate people much better - whatever happened to 'Keep Britain Tidy' campaigns and TV adverts? Well done again Modbury, now come on England!

Kettle, Modbury, England

We are trying to put a ban on in our town we would love to know more about the bags you are using now? please get in touch Rebecca or anyone else that knows anymore about Modbury's plastic bag ban.

jennie, beaminster, dorset

Technically, this isn't a ban. Thankfully, the ethical fascism hasn't taken this freedom from our threatened democracy. I don't see how a town can bring in their own laws like this. However, I welcome this development. Making customers think twice about their use of carrier bags by giving them a cost should reduce unnecessary waste of them. Customers will hopefully be encouraged to bring their own for reuse, or invest in sturdy durable bags. The stores will save money by not having to give bags away for free, and so profits can be maximised and savings passed to customers. This should have happened decades ago.

Lionel Tiger, Birmingham,

I am proud to be from the town that bans bags! Hopefully Modbury is setting a trend that others will follow, by thinking locally we can act globally!

David Barnes, Modbury, UK

Natural World BBC2 9.00pm on May 2nd - Its a brilliant film that is also very thought provoking

Alex, Modbury, Devon

It's great to hear about Modbury (pop1,553) is banning plastic to reduce rubbish floating around the seas doing damage to wildlife . However the last ferry I went on Hull/Amsterdam discharged rubbish in the sea, rubbish from 1,000 passengers went into the sea. Rubbish was discharged in early morning consisting of empty bottles from a duty free bar, black plastic bags of food etc. I think it's great a small place like Modbury makes a stand however large profit making firms don't have such high standards.

Dave Richardson, Armthorpe, Doncaster, South Yorks

Let Newton Abbot be the next town to follow....
Thank you Rebecca, and Thank you Modbury....it's the way to go forward.

jo lucy, newton abbot, uk

This is a potentially revolutionary move, reducing rubbish, damage to wildlife, and the use of petro-chemicals in the manufacture of plastic bags. The sooner other traders start doing as Modbury is, the better. If people were charged 10p per bag we would stop using them. Go Modbury!

Emma Maloney, London,

Jolly well done Rebecca Hosking. Why doesnt the Times publish these pictures? Let's bring it into the public eye so that all thse morons who throw plastic bags away can think about what they do.

jo rees, cheltenham, glos

Top marks to Rebecca Hoskin and the town of Modbury. This is something we should all be doing. I will.

Malcolm Margolis, Harrogate, N Yorks

Well done, Modbury. Where can the rest of us see Rebecca Hosking's film? Rebecca says “It would be great if other towns followed our example”, but the best or only way for this to happen is for more people to see the film. I hope it will be available online.

Ju , London, UK

I use bags made of recycled cotton for my supermarket shopping, as well as some supermarket plastic bags which I reuse to put my rubbish in at home.
The need to wrap and secure rubbish is now even more important because of the increasing system of local authorities of only collecting once every two weeks.
If supermarkets no longer provide plastic bags then I will need to purchace plastic bags in order to dispose of my rubbish in a hygienic manner . The plastic bags I purchace could be of a higher gauge than the supermarket bags.

COLIN SYNNOCK, THETFORD, NORFOLK

well done MODBURY we will catch you up soon
keep up the good work from all the people of HULL.

george william taylor, HULL, UK

This idea is fantastic and as a local from the next town up, I feel very proud of Modbury! I seriously hope it will become a trend, not just for the South-Hams but for Devon and then hopefully Britain in general.

Victoria, Kingsbridge, UK