Plastic bags are just so last year

Some of the Norwich shoppers pictured with their bags for the exhibition.

31 March 2007 09:43

There's never been a better time to wear your green credentials on your arm - and now Norwich is following the famous fasionistas trying to save the planet.

The environmental problem of people using plastic carrier bags from supermarkets has been highlighted by superstars Kate Moss and Keira Knightley. First the model Kate Moss was photographed carrying a canvas £2.99 charity bag from Superdrug last year and sales of the accessory increased 10-fold.

This year Keira Knightley made the £5 canvas 'I'm not a plastic bag' holdall designed by Anya Hindmarch, a sell-out.

Now the humble shopping bag - and the city folk who carry them - are to take centre stage at a new exhibition which calls on Norwich to adopt a zero tolerance approach to plastic carriers.

The pictures will be on display at the Forum from today and form part of its Going Green exhibition.

They were snapped by Norwich based eco campaign group Wake Up (Women Acting to Keep the Earth Unpolluted and Peaceful) as people walked through the city centre. As well as offering a valuable pictorial record of people in Norwich it is also hoped the exhibition of portraits will encourage everyone to think carefully about all the plastic bags they use needlessly and the damage each one does to the environment.

Jacqui McCarney, from Wake Up patrolled the city with a photographer to capture the images.

She said: “We would really like to see Norwich becoming the first plastic bag free zone in the country. Many countries have already banned plastic bags.

“I went out with photographer Barbara Laws and just approached people who had a real bag.

“I just asked if they minded if we photographed them and explained why. People were very keen.”

Every year about 15m carrier bags are used in the UK with the average household using more than 300 over that period.

Not only do plastic bags pollute the environment while they are created, discarded carriers are responsible for the deaths of countless animals and sea birds each year. Plastic does not bio-degrade and so remains in landfill for thousands of years. If burnt in an incinerator plastic bags produce toxic smoke which is lethal to humans.

Mrs McCarney said: “There has been an agreement between Defra and major retailers to reduce the number of plastic bags handed out by 25pc. This agreement is going in the right direction but it does not go far enough.”

“We wanted to emphasis the number of people who carry real bags. These bags are a real reflection of their personality. If you are carrying a plastic carrier with a corporate logo it is not really a reflection of your personality.”

Do you have an environment story to share with the Evening News? Contact reporter Dominic Chessum on 01603 772428 or email dominic.chessum@ archant.co.uk

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