Londoners invited to decide on green proposal for city-wide ban on free shopping bag

Londoners are today being invited to help shape the capital's future environmental policies by deciding whether or not to introduce a London-wide levy - or even an outright ban - on throw away shopping bags.

London Councils has launched a public consultation to give Londoners the opportunity to tell them what they think of one of the key provisions that will make up the 10th London Local Authorities Bill (LLAB).

The organisation first announced its intention to tackle the issue of throw away shopping bags in July, and is now calling on Londoners to tell them what they want. This is a unique opportunity for the capital's residents to help shape and draft a future piece of legislation - and one that can make a significant difference to the environment.

The consultation asks the public its views on a range of options - from doing nothing, to an outright ban on all throw away shopping bags - or just for plastic ones. The consultation runs until Friday 26 October, and the views expressed in responses to the consultation will help shape the final proposal that will go into the 10th LLAB, due to be deposited in Parliament in November.

In the UK, over 13 billion bags are issued every year to shoppers - roughly 220 per person every year. For London, a conservative figure based on population size would indicate Londoners use at least 1.6 billion bags per year - although the number of tourists in the capital suggests that this figure is probably much higher.  

While some of these bags will be re-used once or twice, official figures reveal that only one in 200 of these are recycled, meaning that billions of shopping bags are sent to landfill every year. Many of these will be plastic bags that can take over 400 years to break down.

The government, retailers and consumers recognise this as a problem, and many of them are already making efforts to reduce the amount of throw away shopping bags sent to landfill. London Councils agrees with these concerns, and wants to give Londoners a chance to lead the country in a bold initiative.

Speaking on the launch of the consultation, Chairman of London Councils, Councillor Merrick Cockell, said:

"This is an opportunity for London and for Londoners to lead the country in a bold initiative. We are asking for their views on our proposals to do something about the billions of shopping bags that end up sent to landfill each year, and their views will directly shape one of the key provisions planned for the 10th LLAB.

Inevitably, the big solutions to environmental issues will come from our cities, and London, as one of the world's truly global cities, is keen to step up to the mark and take the lead. I would urge everyone to seize this opportunity to help shape London's environmental future."

Commenting on the proposals, Councillor Sean Brennan, London Councils executive member for sustainability, said:

"London's local authorities are at the sharp end of waste disposal, and as such, we are keen to take a lead on this issue. People need to realise that the 'free' shopping bag they pick up in the supermarket is not really free at all - certainly not in its cost to the environment.

Introducing a levy on plastic bags should help consumers think twice before picking them up in future. But if Londoners feel strongly enough to propose an outright ban on free throw away shopping bags, then that is what we will lobby for."