BURNTISLAND POST Office yesterday threw its weight behind a campaign to see plastic carrier bags scrapped in the area.

Owners Clark and Lee Christie are supporting Friends of the Earth Fife’s drive to ditch plastic bags in Burntisland and neighbouring Kinghorn in a bid to help save the environment.

It is estimated that the business uses over 100 bags a week and it is the money saved on providing these that is being used to encourage customers to use their own, said Mr Christie.

“We will pay our customers a penny every time they reuse their own carrier bags in our busy store.

“Our in-store wine merchants business is growing rapidly and uses so many bags. We feel it really is time we all did just a little bit more for our environment.”

Mr and Mrs Christie have also been asking customers to donate their clean plastic bags to be reused in the store by customers who have not brought their own.

“We’ve set a target of May 1 to completely stop giving out new plastic bags,” Mr Christie added.

“With a business as busy as ours, we can really make a difference.”

Cotton and natural fibre shopping bags will be in stock soon, as will recycled cardboard wine carriers, while the couple are also pursuing other ways in which they can help reduce their store’s environmental footprint.

Calling on other traders in the town to follow suit, Mrs Christie said, “I’ve been offered a carrier bag to bring a litre of milk across the road. Enough is enough, it’s got to stop.”

The local campaign to scrap the bags has also been backed by Friends of the Earth Fife through the creation of an online petition at www.foe-fife.org.uk/ Campaigns.aspx