Sign up to tax carrier bags

A petition launched by campaigning website green-england is well on its way to achieving a goal of 10,000 signatures after being launched just a month ago.

Sheffield councillor Bernard Little is encouraging Star readers to show their support by signing up.

People in Britain use an average of 300 plastic bags a year - and each one lasts for up to 400 years.

In Ireland a tax of 15 cents per bag has resulted in a 90 per cent drop in usage, and raised 3.5 million Euros which was spent on environmental projects.

Coun Little said: "People are ahead of politicians on this, they want leadership but they are being forced to take action themselves.

"This petition will increase the pressure on the Government to take urgent action."

In the UK the Government has accepted a voluntary agreement to 'reduce the environmental impact of carrier bags' by just 25 per cent by the end of next year.

The Star is campaigning for a small charge on carriers to save energy and raise awareness of the potentially disastrous environmental consequences of runaway consumption.

A green-england spokesman said the 10,000-name petition would be used in support of London councils who are drafting a carrier bag tax bill which will go before Parliament in November.

Log on to www.green-england.co.uk/plasticbagpetition to sign the online petition.