Thanks to the efforts of Rebecca Hosking and the local traders Modbury became the first plastic bag free town in the UK in May 2007. You can find out more about the damage plastic bags do to the environment by looking at the plastic free website. Which sadly appears to be empty. A visit is in order?

But there is this from the Daily Mail written in 2015

Film-maker Rebecca Hosking screened a documentary – Message in the Waves – about the devastating impact of plastic waste in a marine environment to 50 local shop owners.The retailers were stunned into silence by the film and instantly pledged to stop handing out plastic bags. Modest Rebecca, 42, said all the credit for the change in the law should lie with those in the audience that evening.

Rebecca, a wildlife camerawoman, said: “I have really stepped away from it now – so the credit to this must go to the Modbury traders association.”They are the ones that have done it, and have been doing it for almost 10 years by themselves with little publicity or credit.”They are the ones that deserve the praise and I would rather leave it to them to comment about today’s changes.” Daily Mail

And I can confirm that at one of them is very praiseworthy indeed. Back at the beginning of my #plasticfree campaign, when I was looking for something to buy meat in, I spoke to the butcher in Modbury and he took the time to tell me all  about the compostable plastic bags he used. 

Rebecca Hoskings is now farming eco sheep. Love it.