Garibaldi tram stop, 11:45 am, the operation to distribute recyclable shopping bags is launched. Some of the locals from Nice accept it, while others refuse it, wondering what to do with it: shopping of course, especially in small shops. Christian Estrosi took his recyclable shopping bag for the occasion. An encouraging operation in partnership with the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
200,000 woven polypropylene shopping bags, with a capacity of 40 liters, will be distributed in 30 municipalities of the Alpes-Maritimes, from September 29 to October 4. Funded by the General Council at a cost of 130,000 euros, the initiative aims to contribute to the total elimination of disposable bags by 2010. “It’s in each person’s daily life, by changing behaviors that seem trivial, that we must exercise our eco-citizen responsibility, in favor of sustainable development,” declared Christian Estrosi.
A Charter for the Environment
The merchants’ associations, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the General Council signed a commitment charter at the associations’ house. Based on voluntarism, the charter should encourage small traders to adopt environmentally friendly practices. Thus, small businesses are engaging in an eco-responsible approach in which they will offer their customers more environmentally friendly solutions.
Made in one second, the plastic bag is used for an average of 20 minutes, but nature will take 400 years to break it down. In France, 15 billion plastic bags are distributed each year. The deputy mayor denounced: “30 dolphins die in the Baie des Anges every year, suffocated by these bags. It is an intolerable situation, which is why we must all commit together.”
An Operation Launched in Supermarkets
In November 2006, the same initiative had been launched but in supermarkets. 14 brands such as Carrefour, Auchan, and Leclerc participated in the elimination of disposable checkout bags. In total, 240 million plastic bags were saved.
