Rother acts on plastic bag dangers

Members agreed on the environmental dangers caused by the bags at their council meeting on Monday night when a motion was proposed by opposition Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Sue Prochak.

Cllr Prochak asked the council to recognise a plastic bag can take 400 years to break down and only one in every 200 bags is recycled.

She also welcomed the work of many councils in the UK to promote reusable bags.

She said: "The creation of plastic bags are only one small aspect of fossil fuel dependence and getting rid of them would make only a small contribution to the effects of global warming. However their profligate use symbolises our carelessness towards the planet's ecosystem.

"The irony is that people seem to generally accept that plastic bags are unnecessary but as long as retailers continue their liberal supply, shoppers won't make the switch to bags for life. Positive public leadership by bodies such as the district council can make a difference by working with the public, retailers and trade associations."

Her motion to actively discourage the use of plastic bags met with favour, but the wording to 'make Rother a plastic bag free district by 2010' was called 'unachievable' by Rother leader Cllr Carl Maynard.

Cllr Maynard said he supported the cause to curtail the use of plastic bags, but that he would not deceive voters.

He said: "We don't promise what we can't deliver. The reality is if we were to guarantee to get rid of plastic bags in the district by 2010 we would be in effect conning the electorate.

"What we do have is the power to influence and influence we will."

Instead council chose to support a modified motion by Cllr Christopher Starnes to work in partnership with commerce to reduce the number of bags used, encourage the use of reusable bags and for Rother's chief executive to promote a county-wide policy to reduce the use of plastic bags, with a progress report made to the overview and scrutiny committee in June 2008.

Cllr Starnes said: "If we are serious about tackling this problem, and I think we all are, we have got to get across the board cooperation from all the districts and boroughs within East Sussex - and shame on them if they don't join with us - or I don't think we will achieve a lot at all."