Terry Philpott Londis Martins, Castle Cary





?We have introduced three different types of reusable bags, which we sell for £3.95. We personally believe we should be doing more to help the environment but also as a response to our customers who were asking for them. It is only right to meet consumer expectations with what a local store should be doing to help the environment. It has had a big impact. Even customers who haven't bought a bag from us are much more aware of recycling bags, and the use of plastic bags in our shop has dropped significantly. Consumers are becoming conscious of the environment and retailers who are seen to be making changes will no doubt benefit.



We're doing our bit

Simon Biddle Biddles, Webheath





?We are starting to address green issues. We are just about to launch a reusable bag with our store name on one side so we are doing our bit to help the environment. Hopefully this type of approach will really take off and we will start to see more retailers taking the same sort of initiative to cut down on the amount of plastic bag waste. In today's climate and with the problems of global warming and damage to the environment, recycling is certainly an issue that smaller retailers need to think about. Because we are a greengrocer we would like to use paper bags, but you can't see inside them and consumers prefer to use plastic ones.



We don't offer bags

Paul Brown Bruton Country Market, Bruton





?We do a bit of recycling and use local produce as much of possible to cut down on fuel usage, but that is about all at the moment. Realistically it is up to everyone to do their bit - as much as is practical anyway. We don't give out plastic carrier bags unless people ask for them because they go straight to landfill. And then there is the question of whether manufacturers should cut down on packaging. It has to be viewed on a product-by-product basis. If a consumer is reusing a plastic bag, they won't want to take home unwrapped bread in it, for example. We should probably make the effort to use more paper and cardboard instead of relying on plastic, though, as it's biodegradable.


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