Zac Goldsmith

“The UK is shamefully wasteful. In fact we generate enough waste every two hours to fill the Albert Hall. 

Of all the waste we generate, the plastic bag is perhaps the greatest symbol of our throwaway society. They are used and then forgotten, and they leave a terrible legacy. The figures are shocking. Each year 13 billion bags are used and thrown away in the UK. Each bag will be used for an average of 20 minutes, and once discarded will take anything up to 1,000 years to decompose. About 98% will end up in our already overflowing landfill sites. Some 200 million will litter the countryside. Thousands of Sea turtles, whales, and countless other species mistake the bags for food and once ingested, the bags block the animal’s insides and cause a horrible death.

Countless countries have taken the initiative to ban or phase out the bag. […] Others have introduced a bag tax. In Ireland for instance, a bag-tax has led to a reported 90% reduction in the number of bags used. […]

Now under the guidance of Greener-Upon-Thames, Richmond Borough as a whole is embarking on the same journey, and I will support it all the way.”

Zac Goldsmith is MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston, and Director of the Ecologist Magazine.

Greener upon Thames invites cross party support.

 

Roz Savage

“It cannot be right to manufacture billions of objects that are used for a matter of minutes, and are then with us for centuries.”

Roz is the first woman to have rowed solo across three oceans – the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian.

Roz is an active environmental campaigner: her message is that we can all make a difference. Read more at http://www.rozsavage.com/contents/rozs-message/

 

 

 

Our scientific advisor, Dr. Richard Thompson

Reader in Marine Benthic Ecology, School of Marine Science and Engineering, University of Plymouth.

“Plastic production has increased exponentially in the last few decades […] This is of concern because plastics are very durable yet their main use is for disposable items of packaging which  are discarded within a year or so of production. […]

Reducing use of carrier bags is a small step but it gives a very important message. Most of the goods in our shops are already very well, if not, over packaged and so it seems entirely unnecessary for us to use a further item of disposable packaging to take these goods home.“