Sort bags out

More has to be done to reduce the environmental waste caused by the over-use of plastic bags.

Plastic bags don't just decompose and disappear. They don't really break down. They are waste products for generations and generations to come.

Plastic bags account for a significant percentage of litter our street cleaners clear away.

One estimate is that factories around the world produce four trillion plastic bags in just one year.

Annually between 500 billion and one trillion plastic bags are used across the world each year. The UK accounts for eight billion of these.

It's a local issue because they litter our streets, easily blowing around and when finally they do break down they are dissipated into smaller and smaller toxic particles which will pollute our pets, wildlife, parks and open spaces, soil and waterways.

But it's not like plastic bags have been around for a long time. They are a relatively new feature to modern life. Because of their convenience most people take them for granted.

Stores started using plastic bags in the late 1970s. With the growth of supermarket chains in the 1980s this figure has risen massively.

Customers should use a sustainable bag.

Since March 2002 in Ireland customers have to pay a small levy on plastic bags. As a result the use of plastic bags has dropped by more than 90 per cent one billion bags and millions of Euros have been raised to help extra recycling programmes.

Australia and Taiwan have introduced regulations. In Bangladesh there is a full ban on production and possession of all plastic bags.

Carrier bags blow everywhere and pollute. Action to reduce their use must be taken now.

Gerald Holm, London