Paper Bag Co. Bradford on Avon, England., a market leading bag supplier in the U.K., with help from Varn Media and around 300 pupils at Fitzmaurice Primary School in Bradford on Avon, Wiltshire, has "ripped up" the record for making the largest paper bag in the world to illustrate that paper bags are easier to recycle than plastic bags. 

 

 

After months of planning, the most gigantic paper shopping bag ever made on Earth became reality at Fitzmaurice Primary School on September 22.

Paper Bag Co. set out to draw attention to paper bags as a viable alternative to plastic ones, as they are easy to recycle. The record breaking bag measured a huge 22.50 meters long, 15.41 meters wide, and 3.36 meters deep, and was officially verified by Guinness World Records.

The bag used:

• 1,400 meters (almost a mile) of brown paper
• 4,800 meters (3 miles long) of paper tape
• 1,500 meters (1 mile) of paper string.

Jon Marling, director of the Paper Bag Co., the paper bag supplier that now claims the new world record, explained the reasons behind this enormous project.

"We are really happy to hold a world record. As a bag supplier to retailers, we make every effort to understand where we can support sustainable solutions using environmentally friendly materials that are easy to recycle, such as paper, cotton, or bamboo. We are proud to have accomplished this amazing record for Great Britain," said Marling.

Tom Vaughton, director of Varn Media, said that "it's been an exciting, long, and rewarding day to finally know we have the record for Wiltshire and the U.K."

With the record "in the bag," the paper from the huge object was made into smaller souvenir bags for the children to take home. During the day of the world record attempt, the children decorated the bag and helped with its construction.

From October 5 (this past Monday), there is a 5p levy per bag on plastic carrier bags in the supermarkets. Paper Bag Co. suggests that retailers can simply change over to paper materials where possible, as they are much easier to recycle and are not taxed.

The whole record breaking event (no name/ password necessary...to activate, click the close-out X)with a stop motion camera is available online. Additional information http://www.paperbagco.co.uk is also available online.