It’s in the bag!

A new cotton shopping bag has gone on sale in Marchmont and Sciennes as traders unite in a bid to make the area a plastic bag-free zone.

Thanks to a £2,500 Waste Action Grant from the Council, the eco-minded shopkeepers teamed up for the project, pledging to reduce the amount of plastic generated in the local community by providing a reusable alternative for smart shoppers.

They organised and ran a community competition for the bag’s design, which was won by a sixth-year James Gillespie’s High School pupil, Gwen Morris.

The launch of the cotton shopping bag is the first of a number of projects planned to raise awareness of the use of plastic in the area. A community litter collection day will follow and joint projects with James Gillespie’s High School’s eco group will also take place.

In addition, a brightly coloured and informative shopping guide, Out and About in Marchmont and Sciennes, has been produced in order to promote the wealth of shops and services on offer in the area.

Monica Higgins, chairperson of the Marchmont and Sciennes Business Association, explained the reasons behind the project.

“For some time we have been recycling plastic bags in our shops but wanted to actively do more,” she said. “After some initial research we realised that between just four local shops we were generating 46,000 plastic bags a month and found it to be a shocking reality.

“We want to encourage our customers to forego the plastic and carry their own reusable cotton bag for shopping and chores. We are offering this alternative shopper so that plastic bags will become a thing of the past.”