Battle against blight of bags continues

On 5th October, local residents will see that they are being charged 5p for plastic bags in all large shops to cut wasteful use, with the excess money given to charity.

Plastic carrier bags cause some of the worst litter problems. Shops in the UK handed out over 8.3bn plastic carrier bags. That's over 300 for every household! They blow around the street and get caught in trees and bushes, making a horrible mess.

Because we are given so many, they are a large part of the waste we thrown out, costing local council taxpayers a large sum of money to dispose of our waste.

Local Lib Dems in Chesterfield are encouraging residents to cut down on using new plastic carrier bags - saving them money. Leading the campaign locally, Alexis Diouf said, "A bag that we may only use for a few minutes, can take hundred of years to break down at a massive cost to our environment - and now our pockets.

"Many years ago shoppers used reusable shopping bags. I'll take bags with me to the shops when I get my groceries and I am encouraging other residents to do likewise."

"Charities will also benefit from this new charge - not the Government - as they will be receiving the net profit from the 5p charge. I am already working with our local charities urging them to apply for some of the proceeds."

To find out more about the charge and which bags are not included visit - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/carrier-bag-charges-retailers-responsibilities