Plastic is very useful stuff. It is cheap, and it can easily be formed into all sorts of shapes. And it lasts a long time before it starts to break down. But this is also the problem with plastics. Plastic rubbish in the sea or on the land lasts for very many years. With time, plastic accumulates in the environment in greater and greater quantities.

　　And the strange thing is that we often use plastic things for only a very short time before we throw them away. We put our shopping into a plastic bag at the supermarket, and when we get home – perhaps 15 minutes later – we throw the plastic bag into the bin. Or we are thirsty and buy a plastic bottle of mineral water. Ten minutes later we have drunk all the water and throw the bottle away.

　　Some other countries have taken action to reduce the amount of plastic rubbish. In Ireland, for example, you have to pay for plastic bags in the supermarkets, and most people have stopped using them. In Britain, you can return used plastic bags to some supermarkets, and some local councils collect some sorts of plastic for recycling. But most used plastic in Britain is simply thrown away. I am afraid that our government talks a lot about environmental problems, but does not do much about them. Rebecca Hosking realised that it was no good waiting for our government to act; ordinary people had to take the initiative themselves.

　　Rebecca comes from a small town in Devon in south west England called Modbury. She decided that Modbury could become the first town in England where there were no plastic shopping bags. For many weeks, she talked to the traders in Modbury. She explained, time and again, about the damage which plastic does in the environment. She researched the possible alternatives to plastic bags, how much they cost, where they come from and how they can be used. Gradually she got all the shopkeepers in Modbury to agree. On 1 May this year, they all stopped offering their customers plastic bags. Modbury is the first plastic-bag free town in Britain, and perhaps in Europe. If you ever visit the beautiful county of Devon, be sure and shop in Modbury.