Shops set to stock eco-friendly bags - Essex Chronicle
AN inventor is helping shops reduce the amount of plastic bags they use by supplying them with eco-friendly shopping bags.
He plans to unveil them at Maldon’s Victorian Evenings, tonight and next Thursday.
Ian Bates, co-founder of Mundon-based firm PortaBrands, has developed a range of bags made from jute of canvas.
It comes in the wake of the speech by Prime Minister Gordon Brown on tackling climate change through reducing disposal packaging.
The durable bags can be used over and over again – and offer an environmentally friendly alternative to plastic carrier bags.
Plastic bags are made from oil – which is in increasingly short supply – and are not biodegradable, so end up in the landfill sites unable to disintegrate. The average person takes home four plastic bags every week.
The jute or canvas bags are not only made from natural materials but should last for at least a year.
Mr Bates said he had been inspired by the village of Modbury, in Devon, which has eliminated plastic bags.
He hopes Maldon could eventually do the same and has the backing of the district council and the shopkeepers’ organisations Maldon Retail Promotions Group.
Mr Bates said: “I asked a meeting of the Retail Promotions Group how many of them would like to get rid of plastic bags and almost everyone put their hands up.
“The best way to encourage businesses to stock our bags is if they can buy them for £1.00 and sell them for £2.00, at a profit.”
Essex Wildlife Trust and two Maldon companies, EOL IT Services and the Blue Boar Hotel, are sponsoring the bags.
Reed and Son DIY shop in Maldon High Street and M Deli coffee shop in Wenlock Place will be stocking them next month.
Any other firms that want to stock bags can buy them from PortaBrands on 01621 828007.