Pictured top: John Young (Government of Jersey), Claude Hogan (Environment minister for Montserrat), William Tate (sitting - President of the States of Alderney), Stephanie Martin (Environment & Conservation Policy Officer for Tristan da Cunha), Deputy Barry Brehaut (States of Guernsey), Liesl Mesilio (HM Gov Gibraltar).

Ministers from seven islands, signed up to the charter last year, pledging to the protect and improve their territory's natural environment.

The 10 point agreement included pledges to 'control and reduce the negative impacts of the island's activities on the environment; to contribute to the development of scientific knowledge with regard to island marine environments and to move towards a complete ban on single use plastics'.

Guernsey has made some moves towards that, with the President of the Committee for the Environment and Infrastructure being given a petition which has been signed by more than 6,000 people, calling for a ban on single-use carrier bags. 

A petition in Jersey gathered more than 1,000 signatures in just a week when it was launched earlier this month, just days after the island's Environment Minister, Deputy John Young, said he'd ban the import of them tomorrow if he could. 

Pictured: Guernsey's petition on banning single use carrier bags garnered thousands of signatures last year, with one in Jersey proving popular this year. 

Alderney has made the biggest moves towards actually banning the bags though, and that ban could be introduced within months.

A Projet de Loi is to be brought before the States of Alderney this year, which would ban the sale and distribution of plastic carrier bags from January 2021 if the island's government approves it. 

A Working Group consisting of Alderney Chamber of Commerce, Alderney Wildlife Trust, States Member Annie Burgess, States Works and Economic Development has already been looking at a number of initiatives "in order to remove as much plastic from the Island’s supply chain as reasonably possible," with the objective of becoming “a plastic-free island” without the need for legislative changes.

While those moves to introduce a voluntary ban are progressing well, the Working Group says the encouraging feedback it's received suggest an island-wide ban could be enforced.

Pictured: A number of shops across the Channel Islands have made a voluntary switch to more environmentally friendly bags. 

The Working Group is now considering how it can educate the public waste management processes, and how it can lobby the supply chain to make changes to reduce the amount of plastic sent to Alderney in the first place.

There are going to be two public home composting talks at the Alderney Wildlife Trust offices next month, on Tuesday 10 March at 18:00 and Saturday 14 March at 10:00, where this will also be discussed.