Environment

Banksy 'backs ban on plastic bags'

by liamssoft | March 6, 2008 at 03:31 am

1455 views | 21 Recommendations | 10 comments

Looks like the plastic bag has had its day....

Banksy, the secretive guerrilla artist, appears to have joined the growing campaign to ban plastic bags.

The graffiti artist is thought to have struck again overnight, leaving this image on the wall of a pharmacy in north London.

The new painting depicts two children pledging allegiance to supermarket giant Tesco.

A Tesco plastic bag flies in the place of a flag.

The owner of the pharmacy in Essex Road, Islington, is said to be thrilled by his new paint job.

"I just walked into the shop on Monday and, lo and behold, there it was," he told the London Paper.

"I am absolutely delighted - I think it's just fantastic. I've heard how much these works can go for.

"We would consider selling the wall, but not the shop. I think anyone who would want to erase it is crazy. It's a piece of art."

3 See all footage | View Slideshow

Share: email story | add to any | | facebook | stumbleupon

recommend Sign In or Join to post comments

Amy Judd

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:09 on March 6th, 2008

liamssoft, I like this story. It's good stuff. I really like Banksy's art, and saw many of his pieces when I used to go to school in Islington.

liamssoft

at 16:12 on March 6th, 2008

Many thanks Amy. I like the Documental video that you posted, it shows quite a lot about Banksy's artistic motivation and incite.

infomatique

at 15:33 on March 6th, 2008

In Ireland there is a tax on plastic bags supplied by retailers. Within a very short period of the introduction of the tax an improvement in the environment became obvious.

Congratulations to Banksy for drawing attention to this issue.

liamssoft

at 16:53 on March 6th, 2008

Many thanks infomatique.

I just love the way Banksy captures the moment with this lighthearted painting which positively promotes the elimination of the chemical polluting plastic bag.

Jarrett Martineau

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 16:58 on March 6th, 2008

The anti-plastic bag movement really seems to be building momentum. Just thinking ahead a little, though, I wonder what everyone is planning to line their garbage cans with? It's cool to take that cotton, hemp, bamboo blend bag to the grocery store...but what happens to all of the non-recyclable
food packaging and general waste...it's still going to go somewhere and my guess is that somewhere will be back into a plastic bag. I hope I'm wrong.

liamssoft

at 17:27 on March 6th, 2008

Many thanks Jarrett.

They hang from trees, clog up waterways and litter our streets.

A few alternatives for carrying the shopping are a small rucksack, wicker basket, boxes, hemp, jute, hessian, canvas, cotton and linen bags or compostable and biodegradable BioBags.

The future will see biodegradable plastics made from a variety of plants, environmentally friendly packaging is being driven by consumers and recycling regulations.

Jarrett Martineau

at 17:44 on March 6th, 2008

I agree that we have a plethora of fantastic alternatives as far as shopping bags are concerned, which I hope and expect that people will use. At this point, however, biodegradable plastics for waste disposal are simply not an available or affordable option for most people.

We may yet reach a point when they have become ubiquitous but, until then, I worry about those who are not seeing the the landfill for the bags, so to speak; those for whom the elimination of plastic grocery bags doesn't solve the broader behavioural issue of being forced to consider, in a more holistic way, what and how we throw things away.

Recycling and composting programs are helpful, especially in urban centres, but they are only part of the solution. People's attitudes need to shift and move beyond simply thinking of reusable bags as a cuter, trendier, and 'greener' way to carry home the groceries.

My question is: what happens once you've got everything home?

liamssoft

at 18:18 on March 6th, 2008

Here in the UK we have containers supplied by the local councils for the normal recyclable materials e.g. plastic bottles, metals, glass or paper, but We recently learned that a large amount of the council recyclable collections are being dumped as landfill as some councils do not have the infrastructure in place to recycle the waste.

DionneBrown (not verified)

at 09:40 on July 23rd, 2008

I don't think that this is solely about plastic bags. Perhaps it is also about Tesco as a large corporate brand in itself that has become so popular that future generations see it as the only place to shop.

On the plastic bag front I agree with Jarrett Martineau ... people's attitudes need to change and I think that this can be partly achieved through education. For example, some people believe that a paper cup is more environmentally friendly but in terms of its life cycle - from the cradle, during use and to the grave the actual truth is that polystyrene cups are better - even though they are manufactured from crude oil, they actually use less non-renewable resources in their manufacture. You can also wash polystyrene cups out and use them again. (and btw, not all paper cups are recyclable because some are covered in PE plastic to stop liquid from soaking through them).

I'm a bit upset that someone covered Banksy's piece (ironically) with plastic because that kind of contradicts what street art is about (at least for me). I think it would have looked even better in a few years time weathered and cracked - not all pieces of art are supposed to exist forever - the plastic just cheapens the image somehow.