Making the area ‘plastic bag free’ is currently a hot topic in Malvern Hills district, not just the town.

A working group is being created by Jan Dyer, of Malvern Greenpeace and Malvern Hills Green Party, and anyone interested in taking this issue forward should contact her. Email: j.dyer@worc.ac.uk

Latest news, March 08

• The group has adopted the name ‘Plastic Bags No Thanks’.
• There will be an exhibition alongside the May Day event in Priory Park on Saturday 3rd May.
• A display on the plastic bags issue will be in the library (Graham Road) 19th April to 10th May.
• Posters are to be designed and printed for shops which commit to the plastic bags issue.

Other news

• Malvern Hills Green Party have been raising the issue with the public and collecting signatures, with a good response.
• A leading Green district councillor (John Raine) has called for Malvern Hills (that’s the whole council area, not just the town) to become a plastic-bag-free (pbf) zone by the end of the year (2008). This was raised at MHDC council meeting on 29th January. Councillors unanimously voted to adopt his motion and ‘commit to the cause of promoting a change in supply and demand habits back towards use of more durable and natural fibre bags - by working with the public and with retailers and their trade associations across the district.’
• Malvern Town Council agreed to back the move on 5th Feb, 8 votes to 7.
• Traders in Barnards Green are reported as largely in favour, following an action day on 2nd February, organised by a local couple and involving LibDem parliamentary candidate Richard Burt.
• Some pupils at The Chase a doing a project on plastic bags in Barnards Green.
• Upton has a campaign organised by Upton in Bloom.
• There has been work in Colwall and Ledbury (over the Herefordshire border). If you want to know more, get in touch (see MEGA page).

Not far away is the Evesham Bagbusters Campaign. They had a launch day on March 1st.

Some local coverage

Bag campaign gathers momentum, 8th Feb.

Bag campaign reaches Barnards Green. 28th Jan.

Useful links

GrownUpGreen round-up on banning plastic bags, Jan 08.

Adopt a beach with background to the issue and how Modbury started it off.

Modbury (town in Devon) info on going plastic bag free.

Bag It Don’t Bin It is an eco-friendly printing service, producing cotton and jute, branded shopping bags.