There always seems to be at least two things I forget when I go shopping.

One is usually the most obvious item and actually the thing I went to get, probably bread or milk.

The other thing though, often seems to be plastic bags, I always forget to take my own plastic bags, it's shocking I admit.

Not even the draw of loyalty points for reusing supermarket bags is enough of an incentive to remind me.

However, the recent coverage in national papers, and by the Greater London Authority should be enough to persuade most of us that plastic is not fantastic.

The shocking pictures depicting gross piles of plastic and litter spreading out into nature are a clear sign of the disregard for the natural world.

And the repercussions of a simple dismissive act are having tragic consequences across the globe.

Apparently, plastic bags and other waste in the world’s oceans kill a million sea birds and 100,000 animals such as whales, dolphins, turtles and seals, each year.

And with Londoners using over 37 million new plastic bags each week, the city alone contributes close on 2.2 billion bags a year.

This dramatically adds to the levels of wasted resources, harmful pollution and further more, impacts directly on climate change.

The idea that just picking up one extra bag to make carrying a few items of shopping a bit easier, could result in the suffocation, choking or starvation of an animal, is more of an incentive than the odd voucher with the retail value of 0.01p.

According to figures from the GLA, if every Londoner cut out just a fifth of their bag usage, it would save almost 11,000 tons of carbon emissions.

Now, I deliberately carry a spare few shopping bags in my work bag, or buy less so I am able to carry it home without needing a bag.

So remembering to take old plastic bags, or even better, cotton carrier bags, could save the environment and wildlife, which are not a bad couple of things to add to the list when you go shopping.