A government ban on the use of plastic bags would act as a statement of intent for consumers, an environment and sustainability expert has claimed.
Sam Jarvis, from eco-friendly charity Waste Watch, suggested that forbidding the use of carrier bags would highlight the public's responsibility to reduce waste.
This comes after the European Commission launched a public consultation on how to limit the use of non-recyclable plastic bags.
Although the focus on banning the items could deviate away from wider issues, Mr Jarvis remarked, the ban could divert tonnes of plastic from landfill.
He added that limiting the availability of the bags "could result in a broader change in public attitudes to resource use, which sees us move away from our throw-away consumer culture towards a more sustainable way of living".
As part of its report, the European Union revealed that 3.4 million tonnes of plastic bags were produced in the continent in 2008.
Posted by Lucy Hallows
