THE campaign to rid Bungay of plastic bags has made good progress on two fronts as the town council and the Chamber of Trade fully back Bungay being a Plastic Carrier Bag Free Town.

THE campaign to rid Bungay of plastic bags has made good progress on two fronts as the town council and the Chamber of Trade fully back Bungay being a Plastic Carrier Bag Free Town.

An amnesty day was a huge successs, and another is planned next Saturday. Meanwhile, the Toy and Gift Emporium has designed its own green bag which gives children the chance to colour in the design on it, as an educational aid.

After the success of the first Amnesty Day on April 19, which was used to publicise and support the campaign, another is being held on May 31, giving the public the chance to get rid of any unwanted plastic carrier bags by taking them to the market place, to be taken away for recycling. There will be 200 free bags to give out on a first come first served basis to those pledging to support the campaign and who have taken along unwanted plastic carrier bags.

Many of the Bungay retailers have already stopped using plastic carrier bags and virtually all have made the commitment to support the campaign, displaying the following sign.

Because of the campaign, the local Co-op Supermarket has successfully implemented changes to its provision and sale of carrier bags. In the few places where plastic carrier bags are still present, the traders have agreed to not having them on display and only hand them out on request.

A leaflet explaining the purpose of the campaign has been distributed to all Bungay households and the town is already visibly changed, with most people now carrying alternatives to plastic carrier bags.

“Unlike some other towns in the UK we are not claiming to be fully plastic carrier bag free when we are not, by taking a more realistic approach we hope to gain the trust and support of everyone involved in a sustainable way,” said Simon Thompson, of the Sustainable Bungay group. He can be contacted on 01986 895801.

The Toy and Gift Emporium is offering customers a paper carrier bag for children to colour in and customise themselves. Bungay artist Alan Irvine has created a unique line drawing which features toys available from the shop's range with aspects of Bungay included in the design.

The bags are in the Earsham Street store now and the shop even sells crayons, felt-tip pens and colouring pencils to colour them in with. The shop is holding a free funky nail painting day on Saturday from 10am to 3pm. Nails will be painted in funky styles on a first come, first served basis to celebrate the beginning of the half term holiday. Parents must accompany their child if they want their child to participate.