A PLASTIC bag amnesty will take place in Huddersfield tomorrow.
Shoppers and town centre visitors will be invited to bring along their plastic carrier bags and exchange these for a free, re-useable, organic, Fairtrade cotton bag.
The bags will be available at four stalls – two in the farmers’ market on New Street, one in the Piazza and one in the Kingsgate shopping centre – from 10.30am to 4pm.
Recycling experts will also be on hand throughout the day to offer advice.
The move comes amid a concerted effort by Kirklees Council to reduce the amount of plastic going to landfill sites.
Clr Ann Denham, who is responsible for environmental matters on Kirklees’s Huddersfield South Area Committee, said: “Six months ago our council agreed to work towards becoming plastic bag-free.
“The area committee has been the first to take up this challenge by starting a local campaign.
Clr Denham added: “Working in partnership with Kirklees Environmental Services and the Huddersfield Town Centre Partnership, who represent the retailers, businesses and major stakeholders in the town, we hope to see a noticeable drop in the amount of plastic bags used in our area.
“Supporting the campaign is easy. You simply have to use your own shopping bag instead of lots of plastic carrier bags.
“Retailers can support the campaign by selling alternatives such as organic cotton bags that can be reused many times.
“The bags collected at the amnesty tomorrow will be recycled.”
Clr Denham added: “By not using plastic bags we can all contribute to improving our environment and cleaning up our town.”
