I HAD been mildly aware that plastic bags - and indeed everything made of plastic - were totally indestructible. However, having watched (at first reluctantly) a TV programme about Hawaii being troubled constantly by tons and tons of plastic landing from all over the world on her shores so that the islands were constantly covered in the beastly stuff, at last I began to realise how deadly the problem had become.

Apparently, the Pacific Rim has tides which bring all this dreadful rubbish to the shores of these initially beautiful islands which comprise Hawaii, and the people there can no longer cope with the problem's magnitude.

The wildlife and birds there tend to ingest the stuff into their guts or, in the case of fish, dolphins, porpoises and whales, have portions of the stuff stuck in fins and mouths and guts.

I beg readers to start now to utilise their own bags when shopping and to avoid buying implements, toys, etc, made from plastic so that this can be avoided in future.

Joan Porter, Newcastle.