Ali writes:
I was inspired by a little town called Modbury, back in 2007 to re-think the then plastic carrier bag offering at House of Fraser (where I headed up the design department). We convinced the board, with the most beautiful designs I might add, that paper was the way forward – it worked!
The inspiring *Modbury* in Devon had began their campaign to ban plastic bags in their small town. Local BBC journalist Rebecca Hosking launched the crusade after filming a wildlife programme in Hawaii where she saw the damage the discarded bags caused in the wild. She convinced every shop in the town to stop giving away free plastic bags.
The campaign spurred communities and organisations across the UK to take similar action and yet we in the EU still create more than 800,000 tonnes of plastic bag waste each year and sadly the use of plastic bags in the UK has gone up this year to producing over 8 billion single-use carrier bags.
These plastic bags will continue to litter our environment for over 2,000 years – polluting our seas, our cities, our countryside and killing our wildlife 
Things have got to change, and in countries where a ban or 5p charge has been introduced plastic bag use has typically dropped over an amazing 95%.
Lush are supporting the Break the Bag Habit campaign and are asking the Government to implement a 5p charge following the model introduced in Wales in October 2011 to introduce this charge.
With this model retailers would be required by law to charge 5p for bags with all profits from the charge going to local environmental charities! Everyone’s a winner!!
To inspire us, Lush have set up a Bag Monster drawing challenge, and condemn plastic bags to the art history books.
We are invited by Lush products, to draw on our artistic talents and create a gorgeous, gruesome picture of the Bag Monster. – watch this space!
If you want to take part too, draw a monster, take a photo, post it with instagram or twitter and use #burythebagmonster. Winners will have their design printed on a canvas bag full of their favourite Lush goodies 
The ‘Bury the Bag Monster’ competition closes at 00:00 on Thursday 11th October. Use hashtags #bagadventure and #burythebagmonster!
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