A CAMPAIGN to rid Newington Green of plastic shopping bags is gathering pace as organisers prepare to give away thousands of environmentally-friendly cotton alternatives.

A CAMPAIGN to rid Newington Green of plastic shopping bags is gathering pace as organisers prepare to give away thousands of environmentally-friendly cotton alternatives.

The Plastic Bag Free Newington Green campaign will distribute 3,000 free organic fair-trade cotton carriers - funded by Islington Council - among local shops during Plastic Bag Free Week, which runs from next Sunday until July 19.

Organisers claim traders have reported a 50 per cent reduction in the number of customers asking for plastic bags over the last four weeks - a saving of 100,000 bags - with an estimated third of shoppers now bringing their own bags.