The Get A Green Grip Peterborough campaign, supported by The Evening Telegraph, will be launched at the town hall today, encouraging as many residents and businesses as possible to use recyclable bags for their shopping, rather than plastic bags.

The city was recently named as the country's second greenest city, and it is hoped that the new scheme will help it in the bid to become the UK's environment capital.

The campaign is being run by Peterborough Environmental City Trust (PECT), supported by the Evening telegraph, and will see thousands of cotton bags given away to shoppers to try and cut waste.

Rachel Huxley from PECT said: "The problem with plastic bags is that they take decades to decompose and often end up in landfill, the ocean or an incinerator.

"The Get a Green Grip campaign will help reduce the city's impact on the environment, and move it one step closer to becoming the UK's environment capital."

The launch, from 3.30pm to 5pm today, will see city green campaigners and business leaders, including Mayor Marion Todd, given their own bag.

Shoppers will be able to get their hands on a bag at the Peterborough Green Festival launch which kicks off on Saturday, May 24 in Cathedral Square.

The campaign has already been given backing from supermarket Asda, who will be handing out the free bags at their Rivergate store later in the year.

From June, all Asda supermarkets will remove plastic bags from checkouts.

Peterborough city centre director Annette Joyce said: "Banning the bag is a step in the right direction giving people another opportunity to recycle, while reducing the waste we send to landfill.

"People seem to be in the habit of accumulating several plastic bags on each shopping trip most of which are thrown away. This is an incredible waste."

Peterborough residents throw away 37 million bags every year.

Back the campaign

OVER the next few weeks the Evening Telegraph will be supporting the Peterborough Environmental City Trust campaign to introduce thousands of environmentally friendly shopping bags in the city.

We want to feature our readers who make the switch.

If your club, school, business or organisation is making the switch let us know.

If you take your Get A Green Grip bag on holiday or to an unusual location send us a snap.

We'll be spotlighting stores and businesses that start using the bag and what to do with plastic bags that are no longer needed.

Local celebrities and sports stars will be backing the initiative, building up to the launch of Peterborough's two-week Green Festival which starts on May 24.

So if you are backing the campaign contact our campaign reporter Jemma Walton on Peterborough 588722 or e-mail her at jemma.walton@ peterboroughtoday.co.uk