Shoppers in the cities of Bristol and Edinburgh are taking part in a six-week project to encourage them to reuse durable shopping bags and reduce their take-up of the give-away, plastic carrier. An estimated 10 bn plastic carrier bags are produced in the UK annually, yielding 100,000 t of waste. Now leading supermarkets such as Tesco, ASDA and Somerfield are backing The Reusable Bag Campaign, which has “Choose to Reuse” as its slogan. The campaign has the backing of WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme; www.wrap.org.uk) and is being promoted in 100 stores, supported by in-store roadshows, promotions and competitions. WRAP´s head of innovation, Dr. Richard Swannell, says the campaign is part of a priority to reduce the amount of rubbish thrown away in the UK. Kevin Hawkins, director general of the British Retail Consortium (www.brc.org.uk), sees it as “an opportunity for consumers to make a positive impact on the environment by thinking globally, but acting locally.”