As Plastiki – the boat made of plastic bottles – has completed its journey, the campaign to get the world reducing its waste continues.

Adventure Ecology are the people behind Plastiki and they want people to pledge to cut their waste. You can take your pledge at myplastiki.com and choose which area to concentrate on cutting down.

Plastic bags are one of the most troublesome forms of waste around. Although some chainstores have stopped giving them away free at the till, many continue to dish them out with your shopping.

How many times have you seen a plastic bag caught in the branches of a tree, blowing across a playing field or just lying by the side of the road? Carrier bags are ugly to look at but they can also be dangerous to wildlife.

Small animals and birds can get caught in them and when they tear into smaller pieces plastic bags can be mistaken

for food and make the unfortunate creature very ill.

But you can do something about it!

l Take an old plastic bag or even better a cloth bag with you and your family when you go shopping so there’s no need to pick up any at the till.

l Plastic bags that you already have at home can be reused – as a bin liner, to store things, as protective packaging if you’re sending something precious in the post.

l Take the Plastiki Pledge at myplastiki.com

What else can you do with a plastic bag? Tell us at newsdesk@firstnews.co.uk putting PLASTIC in the subject line.