 The bags are made of cotton and will be sold in local shops |
Cotton shopping bags have been produced by commerce chiefs in a Somerset town as part of a bid to cut down on plastic carrier bag use. The Fairtrade organic "souvenir" bags come in two sizes and will be sold in shops in Glastonbury.
The town is the latest to follow the example of Modbury in Devon which aims to be plastic bag free.
The Glastonbury Bag was proposed by a local resident who saw a BBC film about wildlife choking on plastic waste.
Inspired to act
Message in the Waves shows seabirds and animals, suffocating to death on discarded plastic which is washing hundreds of miles across the ocean from cities bordering the Pacific Rim.
Gillian Booth said she was shocked by the scenes and felt inspired to act.
"When I told my daughter that someone had to do it, she suggested it should be me.
"The BBC kindly gave me a production copy and I showed it to a large invited audience at the Tor Leisure Centre.
"My hope was that a group could form to start the process of making the town plastic bag free. That group has formed and I am proud to be part of it."
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