Plastic-bag-free village plan is gaining support

Half the traders in Brixworth have now committed to a scheme to get the village plastic bag free – just weeks after the idea was first floated.

Now a residents’ meeting will be held on Saturday, April 5, at Brixworth Library and Community Centre from 6pm to showcase the idea, give villagers the chance to ask questions.

Two recent meetings attended by most of the 21 businesses in Brixworth convinced more to sign up to the initiative’s charter, to use alternatives to plastic carriers.

And others who have not yet committed are working with Heather Pool, Customer Advisor at Daventry District Council’s Brixworth Information Service and Alice Pearce, Environment Co-ordinator at the Council, to find solutions tailored to their business.

Pupils from Brixworth Primary School are also getting involved in the campaign. They are being challenged to come up with designs illustrating the problems with plastic bags which could be used on posters advertising the scheme and on organic Fairtrade cotton bags which it is hoped will be sponsored by a local business. The designs will be on display at the residents’ meeting.

“The support has been incredible,” said Heather, who only publicly raised the idea for the first time in February.

“There are 21 businesses all together and half have now committed to the charter. There is a lot of interest from other traders but there is not one solution to fit all so we are looking at different products for different businesses. Many are genuinely interested but just need an alternative to plastic bags that works for them.”

Heather came up with the idea to make Brixworth plastic bag free after seeing what was achieved in Modbury, Devon, where campaigner Rebecca Hosking helped make the town the first in the country to do away with plastic bags. Every trader agreed to use environmentally friendly alternatives to the plastic bag – and it is now hoped that traders in Brixworth will follow their lead.

A number of leading supermarkets have said they hoped to phase out giveaway plastic bags within the next few years.

Around 13 billion plastic bags are given away in the UK each year.