http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/2012-plastic-bag-free-olympics/sign.html

Greener upon Thames asks the London 2012 Olympic Board to commit to a ban on plastic bags at the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games at the Olympic Park and all Olympic venues. We are concerned at the growing environmental damage caused by plastic bags and we believe a plastic-bag-free London 2012 would be practical to implement and would act as a powerful symbol to the world that London 2012 is the most sustainable Olympics and Paralympics ever.

In the UK we use over 13 billion plastic bags each year, worldwide, that figure is closer to 500 billion. A recent voluntary scheme, organised by DEFRA and WRAP, set a target of a 50 percent reduction in plastic bag use over a three-year period. Seven of the UK’s largest retailers took part. The scheme failed to reach its target.

The damage caused by plastic bags is well documented. While an individual bag may appear to be inconsequential, their accumulation in vast numbers and their inability to degrade creates a burgeoning problem in our oceans and across our countryside. Used on average for just 12 minutes, plastic bags will last for hundreds of years, many in fragments, others fully intact. Indeed, the majority of all plastics that have ever been made are still somewhere here on our planet. In the wild, they kill countless mammals and birds, and more worryingly, there is now evidence to suggest they are entering our food chain. Plastic leaches chemicals used in its manufacture and also acts as a toxic sponge absorbing toxins from the ocean and passing them up the food chain.

There is no realistic prospect of removing this pollution from the oceans and it continues to grow at an alarming rate. The quantity of plastics produced in the first ten years of this century is almost the same as the total produced in the entire 20th Century. As a result of this production, there is now an area in the North Pacific, ten times the size of England, in which there is an estimated six kilos of plastic for every kilo of natural plankton. Four other ‘plastic islands’ (gyres) have also been identified in our Oceans. We currently use 8% of the world oil production to make plastics, and this alone should be evidence enough that all forms of plastic carrier bags are simply no longer a sustainable option.

Banning plastic carrier bags at the London 2012 Olympics is a small but simple step that will send an important message to a convinced but largely disengaged public. A survey in 2007 found 90 % of Londoners supported a total ban (Guardian – London Council Survey). However, of the 45% of shoppers who have bought a reusable bag, only 12% actually use them {EPA}, demonstrating that while free plastic bags are available, people will continue to use them. The plastic bag is the most recognisable symbol of our throwaway society. Tackling plastic bags has to be done now, not later.

We ask you to take this simple step and ban plastic bags from London 2012. Your action today will influence future policy makers and create a better environment for the next generation.