Shoppers and retailers in the district are being urged to swap their plastic carrier bags for reusable shopping bags.

The drive is on to make the district plastic shopping bag free with the Changing the World One Bag at a Time Campaign.

More than 1500 cotton bags have already been given away by St Albans City and District Council and retailers are being asked to support the campaign by:

• making their own 'bags for life' available, either free or at a discounted price
• switching to an alternative type of bag like paper, recycled or biodegradable plastic, corn starch etc.
• simply asking customers 'do you need a bag?'

Figures show that:

• approximately 500 billion plastic bags are used across the world every year - around one million per minute
• seventeen billion plastic bags are handed out in the UK every year
• plastic bags take over 100 years to decompose and create a massive amount of additional waste and pollutants
• plastic bags create a lot of wind-blown litter which is both unsightly and dangerous to wildlife

The council cabinet agreed its support in making the district a plastic bag free zone, urging retailers to supply reusable bags, and that more initiatives should be developed.

Cllr Mike Ellis, portfolio holder for environment and sustainability, said: "Disposable plastic shopping bags are cheap to make and convenient to use. However, they litter our streets, verges, hedgerows and green spaces. They endanger wildlife. They typify our throwaway society

"We want St Albans, Harpenden and our other communities to become disposable plastic shopping bag free zones. We ask residents to refuse the offer of a disposable bag when ever possible and encourage retailers to supply only long life bags and bags for life.

"Let us join the shoppers of London, Modbury and 71 other towns throughout the country and become a disposable bag free zone."

Although there is no legal precedent for banning plastic bags the council will hold talks with the Chamber of Commerce and other retailers to consider a policy of discouraging free, disposable, plastic bags from the district's shops.

Approximately 71 towns in the UK are proposing becoming plastic bag free zones. In St Albans environmental group, St Albans Campaign Against Plastic, is aiming to make Fleetville the first plastic bag free zone.

Supermarkets Sainsbury's and Morrisons have already agreed to take up the challenge and any other retailers interested in being part of this campaign should contact the Sustainability team on 01727 819466 or e-mail sustainablilty@stalbans.gov.uk.

As a target for vandalism and arson, abandoned vehicles can often turn from a minor annoyance into a serious threat to public safety.

Dumped cars are just one of the issues that can reported through the Cleaner District campaign.

If you spot a vehicle you think has been abandoned please report it immediately on the Cleaner District hotline on 0845 125 8000 or e-mail a.cleanerdistrict@stalbans.gov.uk giving details of the vehicle make, registration number and location.

In the past five years the number of abandoned vehicles in the district has doubled from 336 to more than 660. Last year the council spent £20,000 removing dumped cars.

It is anticipated that the number of abandoned cars will remain high with the new End of Life Vehicle directive coming into force. This will require all scrap vehicles to be de-polluted before destruction and for a certain percentage of materials to be recovered for re -use.

Graffiti-busters have been out an about in St Albans district banishing unsightly scribbles from the streets as part of the council's Cleaner District campaign.

In one operation, graffiti was cleaned from 18 different locations in Beaumont Avenue, Salisbury Avenue and Eaton Rd, St Albans, where signposts, bins, utility boxes, fences and even the road had all been defaced.

Nearby, in Glenferrie, Blandford, Harlesden and Sandford roads, a further nine incidents of graffiti have been cleaned off.

Under the council strategy graffiti is being removed as quickly as possible, usually within five working days. Racist or obscene graffiti will be cleaned off within 24 hours.

The council is also working with police to identify those responsible for the graffiti and bring them to book.

Anyone can join in the Cleaner District campaign to improve our environment and ensure the district is clean and well kept by calling the hotline number 0845 125 8000 or sending an e-mail, text message or photo to a.cleanerdistrict@stalbans.gov.uk

One of the biggest blights in the countryside surrounding St Albans district is flytipping.

The council spent more than £36,000 removing illegally dumped rubbish in 2003/04. As the problem increases so does the cost.

All flytipping of refuse is illegal whether it is a bag of garden rubbish or a lorry load of rubble. The most common types of fly-tipped waste are: household waste; larger domestic items such as mattresses and washing machines; garden refuse and construction waste. Dumping can also be dangerous with hazardous waste such as asbestos and special waste like tyres and fridges being left in our laybys, on farmland and our countryside

St Albans City and District Council will not hesitate to take legal action if the culprits are identified. The Cleaner District hotline number 0845 1258000 and e-mail address a.cleanerdistrict@stalbans.gov.uk allows residents to report flytipping and send pictures.

If you witness anybody dumping rubbish, take down what details you can such as registration number of vehicle and location, then contact the council on the hotline number or by e-mail. The council's enforcement team will do the rest. Offenders can be fined up to £20,000 or even sent to prison.

Only holders of waste management licences can recover, transport, deposit or dispose of waste. The majority of people dump their rubbish to avoid paying the landfill tax, which business have to pay when disposing of waste properly. If your rubbish is found fly-tipped and traced back to you, you could be held responsible.

Bridge before Cleaning

Bridge after Cleaning

It's a wipe out for graffiti on railway bridges close to St Albans city centre.

The main railway bridge in Victoria Street and two others in York Road and Jennings Road have been repainted to remove all signs of graffiti.

This is the second time in three months the two smaller bridges have been painted. The Victoria Street bridge was painted last summer. The work takes almost two days and costs £450 each time it has to be done.

The action is part of the council's Cleaner District campaign to improve our environment.

Railway bridges are a target for graffiti artists who paint not only their stylised tags but often leave the bridges covered in obscene and racial slogans.

Graffiti and flyposting are recognised as a problem that can make the city and district look unattractive, and if left can lead to other anti-social behaviour. If identified the vandals can be prosecuted and fined.

The council picks up the tab for the clean up at a cost of around £30,000 a year.

Anyone who wants to report anything that is blighting the local environment, can call the Cleaner District hotline on 0845 125 8000 or e-mail pictures to a.cleanerdistrict@stalbans.gov.uk

Residents using the Alban Way have been reporting dumped washing machines, a motorbike and a burnt out car to the new Cleaner District campaign hotline.

All these are being dealt with by council officers.

The 6.5-mile former railway line runs from Cottonmill Lane in St Albans through to Hatfield and is popular with walkers and cyclists.

The council campaign aims to make sure the district is clean and well kept.

Anyone can join in the campaign by calling the hotline number 0845 125 8000 or sending an e-mail, text message or photo to a.cleanerdistrict@stalbans.gov.uk to report anything from graffiti to flytipping.

The council is committed to working for a premier environment and making the city and district an even better place to live and work.

More than 75 calls or e-mails are being received each week by the council's Cleaner District hotline to ensure that the district is clean and well kept.

Residents have supported the campaign, launched in October 2005, by reporting blights they have spotted ranging from litter to abandoned vehicles and flytipping. The more residents who act as eyes and ears, the greater the impact the campaign can have in ensuring that the district is looking good.

If you notice a "grot spot" when you are out and about, you can snap it on your mobile or digital camera and e-mail it to the Cleaner District hotline on a.cleanerdistrict@stalbans.gov.uk.

Once notified of a problem, council teams go out to clean up the eyesore.

If you e-mail a picture, please include precise location details, the date the photo was taken, and your name, address and phone number.

Alternatively residents can call the Cleaner District hotline, on 0845 125 8000. The line operates round the clock, with an answerphone outside office hours.