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‘Remember to re-use your carrier bags’, that's the simple message behind a new campaign from the Scottish Government and Scottish retailers.

With Scotland using one billion carrier bags a year and Scottish local authorities spending £385 million a year dealing with waste, the campaign aims to help stores halve the amount of bags they hand out.

Research shows 92 per cent of people think reusing carrier bags is good for the environment but that 59 per cent forget their reusable bags and have to take new ones at the checkout.

Based on the premise that an elephant never forgets, the campaign will run on TV and radio as well as in supermarkets and shops across the country.

Ten major retailers and almost 500 independent shops are on board, potentially reaching millions of consumers, making this the biggest high street campaign ever undertaken by the Scottish Government.

Launching the campaign at Scotmid's store in Leith, Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: "Millions of shoppers taking a small step can lead to a big change. The beauty of this campaign is that everyone who shops - literally all of Scotland - can be engaged in sustainable behaviour.

"There is clearly a collective desire on the part of the public and retailers to reduce carrier bag numbers. By taking the simple action of remembering to bring a carrier bag with you every single person in Scotland can play a role.

"Almost everyone in Scotland goes to the shops on a regular basis and this campaign will help people remember and, in turn, help retailers reach the target we have set them - a 50 per cent reduction in bags dished out to customers.

John Drummond, Chief Executive of the Scottish Grocer's Federation, said: "We are very pleased to be working with the Scottish Government on this initiative to reduce the number of carrier bags handed out to customers.

"It's often very difficult for convenience stores because consumers regularly make unplanned visits and therefore don't always have their re-usable bags with them. However, retailers are making determined efforts to encourage customers to change their habits, to use durable bags for sustained use on an on-going basis."

The Scottish Government has set zero waste targets:

By 2010, 40 per cent of municipal waste should be recycled or composted
By 2025, 70 per cent of municipal waste should be recycled or composted, a maximum of five per cent should be sent to landfill and a maximum of 25 per cent of waste should be used for energy
A recent report by Scottish Natural Heritage 'Valuing Our Environment' showed that output from activities which depend on the natural environment is estimated at £17.2 billion (11 per cent of total Scottish output) and supports 242,000 jobs (14 per cent of all full-time jobs in Scotland).

The £466,000 campaign forms part of voluntary measures to reduce carrier bag use. Ten major retailers are taking part in the campaign: Asda, B&Q, Jessops, Morrisons, Next, Primark, Somerfield, Tesco, Waitrose and WH Smith. In addition around 490 independent shops are involved through the Scottish Grocer's Federation.