SIR - I am writing to reassure Brian Holmans (T&A, December 5) that he need not worry about the "Plastic Bag Free Saltaire" campaign recently launched by Shipley's green councillors.

We will consult closely with Saltaire retailers and residents about our proposals so that we can work out what local people want and how we can best provide them with several alternatives to the free disposable plastic bags that are mostly used at the moment.

Our retailers will be completely free to decide which bags they want to offer the public, and the public will be free to choose the kind of bag they wish to use.

These will range from hard-wearing cloth shopping bags to once-only compostible carrier bags made from cornstarch.

The point is that nearly all of the disposable, non-biodegradable plastic bags we use are land filled or discarded as litter. The result is catastrophic marine pollution.

The UN estimates there are 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in every square mile of the world's oceans and that 80 per cent of this plastic waste comes from land - including our high streets.

Where Saltaire leads the way in reducing plastics waste, others will follow!

Councillor Kevin Warnes (Green, Shipley) Moorhead Terrace, Shipley