20 minutes!?

I've just read an amazing statistic that disposable bags from shopping centres are used for an average of only 20 minutes before being thrown away! Can that be right? It sounds shockingly short. Whatever the exact number, opting for reusable bags for our shopping is an easy action that can have a big impact on waste and is one of the top tips recommended as part of this week's snappily entitled European Week of Waste Reduction. As they say, not only do disposable bags become waste very quickly, but if not disposed of carefully they can pollute the countryside and the sea. Plastic bags that end up in the sea can kill sea turtles, dolphins or sharks who confuse them with jellyfish and swallow them.

There are more tips on waste reduction on the EWWR site and little reminder of how to create a very quick and simple grocery wrap here.