The demise of the plastic carrier bag

Hmmmm, looks like i'll be turning my attention away from plastic carrier bags if The Daily Mail and Gordon Brown have their way. Maybe if the campaign against plastic carrier bags is successful i won't have to take photos of them flying like flags in trees and bushes around Waterlooville. I think it will be a long time yet though before plastic garbage is completely gone from the trees, grass and hedgerows of Waterlooville and the UK. So you can expect to see more horrible photos of Waterloovilles waste problems in the future until something is done to tackle the problem of crisp packets, fast food containers and other such rubbish.

No Car Day at Waterlooville?

Oh if only Waterlooville can follow Marlows example and give up cars in a big way. I refer to the Channel 4 show called 'The Woman Who Stops Traffic' which was broadcasted this evening at 9pm. It was a joy to see the streets of Marlow empty of traffic and what seemed to be a commitment to change.

The solution in Waterlooville isn't to push cars into car parks on the outskirts of the town that pedestrians have to walk through to get into town, the solution is to get people to stop using their cars altogether, to walk and cycle. A 40% reduction in traffic (and a 40% reduction in green house gas car emissions) in Marlow was impressive, with no reduction in commerce, business etc. Plus the majority of the kids got to school without a car.

Finally everyone in Marlow was that little bit healthier to!

Do your shopping in Waterlooville without a car?

How do you haul loads of shopping from Waterlooville to home, without a car and disposable carrier bags? This has always been a problem even when in the past we had plenty of choice for local shops. Well mothers and fathers often use the babies push chair, so we can take a lesson from this and use un-motorised wheels.

One way is to use a shopping trolley, not the supermarket variety, but a personal one that you can pull behind you. I know what your thinking, it's not for you because they are dull or uncool. Yes? No?

Well no, because there are trolleys to suit all tastes now. For example Rolser have a range of cool looking trolleys. I like the Rolser Mountain Retro. If you want to use carrier bags, then why not use a DeWeNe trolley to carry them. Lets get rid of those disposable carrier bags, get fitter and reduce GHG emissions all in one go!

Asda fly the bag in Waterlooville

An Asda plastic carrier bag caught on camera at the Hambledon Road Retail Centre, near the pedestrian underpass. The dual carriageway traffic lights can be seen in the background.

Well done Asda Waterlooville for achieving greater heights with plastic bags. This one looks like it might be blown away in a gale, who knows where? Maybe to the big rubbish dump collecting in the Pacific ocean.

The good news is that the bag isn't full of dog shit, which is what you do observe in plastic bags a lot on the streets here in Waterlooville, surrounding areas and other parts of the UK.

Swiss Cottage - Waterlooville

Swiss Cottage Nearby Office block and flats

Swiss Cottage is probably one of the last remaining unaltered buildings in Waterlooville that dates back before the 1950s. There is a photograph of the building that is dated 1906, this one was taken today. It is now occupied by the local Citizens Advice Bureau branch, an organisation devoted to giving free legal and financial advice. It's a shame that the roof tiles at the front have been replaced by plastic sheeting, but most of the building retains its original character. It is however in poor repair. A few yards further down the street is this non-descript block of offices and flats. About two years ago some beautiful Georgian cottages were demolished so that these could be built. The same type of cottages in Chichester would be protected and cherished, but the local Waterlooville authorities and property developers consider Waterlooville the ideal place to demolish any previous history. Unfortunately i didn't photograph the Georgian cottages before they were demolished. A lot of the worst defacing of Waterloovilles historic buildings occured in the 1950s and 1960s. Take a look at photographs of the period and the old Victorian buildings had either been replaced or modern fronts had been put on the old shops. Of course today, developers and councillors see fit to continue the trend.

Havant Rubbish

Had to take the bus to Havant last week and was shocked yet again at the amount of rubbish that can be found in ditches, hedgerows etc. at the road side. It is really appalling and because car drivers don't see it (and councillors), nothing gets done. The Bus stop near the Havant Civic Offices and Health Centre has a nice pile of fast food rubbish and supermarket packaging in a ditch.

I didn't have my camera with me this time so can't post any photos, but will do if i get a chance. On the embankment that leads to the railway bridge crossing into Havant Town centre there is another huge pile of rubbish, again because it isn't visible by the majority of people that pass that point (in cars), it isn't seen as a major problem.

If the majority walked past the point, then there would be a big public outcry about how appalling it is and that Havant should be cleaned up. But because most people drive past it and it is not visible to them, there is no will to do anything about it.