Teresa Martínez, general director of Cicloplast

On 23 February the El País newspaper, published a statement by the Director-General of quality environment of the Ministry of environment, Jaime Alejandre, in which, inter alia, stated: "We consume many plastic bags and bags are very clean""they last more than 100 years and it should reduce their use". These statements were produced at the time that the Ministry of the environment announced the presentation to the autonomous communities of the integrated National Plan of waste 2007-2015, which have included quantitative measures of reducing the use of bags in a 50 per cent and replacing it with a 70 percent biodegradable bags. Universal plastics has sought the views thereon of Teresa Martínez, Director General of Cicloplast, entity non-profit representing in Spain the commitment of the plastics industry with environmental protection. Since 1996, it promotes the recycling and recovery of plastics at the end of its useful life.

Cicloplast shares the idea with the Ministry of environment of the need to act in prevention. However, force to reduce its consumption does not seem the most appropriate method.

In Cicloplast we believe that the best way to act on prevention is, without a doubt, implementing public awareness campaigns to promote responsible consumption, prevent waste and promote reuse of bags.

But that is not enough, we must give means to the citizen that contribute to the recycling of bags at the end of its useful life and inform you of their availability.

Education in responsible consumption, reuse, recycling and not neglect is the key to avoiding the litter bags

The plastic bag that we usually use in shops is made of polyethylene, a plastic material that, like everyone else, is completely innocuous and inert chemically. Does not produce, therefore, no harm to the environment, to the environment.

Bags, in themselves do not have any problem. They are useful, convenient, reusable, help us to recycle, and are also recyclable. The important thing is to give destination right at the end of its useful life.

The problem is the inappropriate behaviour of who deposit bags in inappropriate places.

All we are concerned about the phenomenon of the "litter" of uncontrolled abandonment of waste of any kind, but this is the case, not only with the bags, but also with butts, the chewing gum, cans, jars, etc.

Cicloplast is one of the founding members of the Association landscape clean, dedicated, precisely, to educate in environmental awareness to avoid the uncontrolled abandonment of waste.

In clean landscape began last year at nautical schools and sports clubs a specific campaign which was very successful under the motto "In the Sea leaves only your trail" on the plastic bags to avoid that they are thrown into the sea.

Yes. Just last year we signed an agreement with ANGED representing large surfaces such as El Corte Inglés, Hipercor, Alcampo, Eroski and Carrefour and the CEC representing small and medium-sized businesses.

That Convention referred exclusively to plastic bags and resulted in the beginning of a campaign under the four messages: responsible consumption, reuse, recycling and not abandonment, campaign which we would like to continue this year.

"Recycle me, do not let me go." "Take me to the yellow container" was the motto of our campaign that still can be printed on the bags of shopping malls. Campaign with the institutional support of the Ministry of the environment.

Plastic bags are recyclable and recycled if we put them in the yellow container.

Other items such as bags of trash, Jerry cans, profiles, etc. can be manufactured from such recycled material,

I like to emphasise that I reutilicemos not only bags as garbage bag that is very well, but also as a "bag of packaging", i.e. to hold lightweight containers that go to the yellow container. So we recycle both content (bottles, cans and briks) as the continent (the Stock Exchange itself).

France and Italy have management models to very different to the Spanish plastic bags. In France, for example, where there is the same system of green point here, paid Green point for the bags, but his fate is energy recovery, while in Spain our Green point system geared towards recycling bags.

It makes no sense, therefore, that in Spain is advocates legal measures of the consumption decreased when the solution is to encourage the use of the yellow container.It should remind the consumer which must be deposited in the yellow plastic bags.

I understand that speak a replacement of 70 per cent of the bags for biodegradable for 2010.

With a measure of this nature, the first thing I wonder is what study have relied in deciding that the biodegradable bags are better from an environmental point of view than conventional.

In theory, if we support the culture of recycling, the awareness to change habits and attitudes of consumers towards more responsible behaviour with its environment, it is not good that the consumer is despreocupe and have the perception that can do what I want, to pull anything, then already is biodegradará.

The photo and biodegradability are advisable for according to which cases and for certain circumstances.

In my opinion, it would be advisable to carry out a life cycle analysis comparing all forms and types of bags, to decide to where it is most advisable thus guide our actions in the environmental field.

Without an analysis of life cycle made in accordance with the requirements of independence which establishes the relevant ISO standard, cannot be said that a product is better than another, no more.

Also why force to the plastic will biodegrade? has someone stopped to think about forcing the glass to that degrade?

No, because everyone understands that it is recyclable. However, there remains the feeling among many consumers that the plastic is not.

Because the plastic is also recyclable. And it also helps us to recycle. We all know that the bag is the container ideal for transporting newspapers and cartons where we are going to the blue container or put the glass on the Green igloo.

"The level of recycling of plastic bags in Spain is the highest in Europe." In other countries of the EU, have preferred to take advantage of the energy value of the bags and plastic films for use

"as a fuel in incineration with energy recovery"

We move at a pace that will certainly allow us to meet and even exceed the European packaging directive which establishes specific targets for recycling of plastic for the year 2008.

Compared to other European countries, the recycling of plastics in Spain is the level of the leaders in the field. We passed to France, for example, although we are under Germany.

Plastic bags are recycled in Spain thanks to the Green point system that offers the yellow container, both for depositing the bottles and other plastic containers, to plastic bags as part of the Green point.

A voluntary agreement between manufacturers, shops and Ecoembes signed in 1998 to finance recycling of bags at the end of its useful life.

The level of recycling of plastic bags in Spain is the highest in Europe. In other countries of the EU, have preferred to take advantage of the energy value of the bags and plastic films for use as fuel in incineration with energy recovery.

In Spain are recycling 21.4 per cent of the total signed up to the system of green point, which is approximately 100 percent of what reaches the plants of selection and the recyclers.

If they are not more recycled, it is because no more bags reach the yellow container.

A study conducted by Cicloplast in 2004, indicated us that 67 percent of the population reuse the bags as garbage bags, but in addition also pointed to a problem: widespread ignorance about the possibility of recycling plastic into the yellow container bags.

For this reason, should continue to work in information and public awareness campaigns.

We are prepared to continue to reinforce the messages, to make greater commitments. Above all, we would like to comment on our ideas with the Ministry to address the problem of the "litter" of the bags together.

We have prepared a campaign this year with the collaboration of Plastics Europe and Anaip, which is practiced through shopping centres, associations of consumers and housewives, environmental classroom of municipalities and workers of the enterprises themselves.