When the small Devon town of Modbury became the first in Europe to reject plastic bags in its shops six months ago cynics said traders and the public would soon tire of their experiment and go back to oil-based polyethylene normality.

Anything but. Not only has the self-imposed ban by the 40-odd shopkeepers held firm with the public accepting alternatives, but now 50 other cities, towns and villages are following Modbury and are in the process of ditching the eponymous symbol of the throwaway society.

They range from London, where the 33 boroughs last week proposed a city-wide ban on all throwaway bags starting in 2009, to the islands of Mull, Arran and Guernsey, which are racing to become the first plastic bag-free island in the world.

Some of the initiatives come from individuals, others from councils, and many from shopkeepers themselves. All were inspired by Modbury and Rebecca Hosking, the young wildlife camerawoman whose outrage at the pollution of Pacific ocean marine life by plastic bags led to Modbury changing.

Second after Modbury has come Hebden Bridge in West Yorkshire, a former mill town in the Pennines, which stopped handing out plastic bags two weeks ago after four women calling themselves the Bag Ladies convinced nearly all the town's 104 traders that plastic was passé.

Britain uses nearly 17bn bags a year, or 300 for every man, woman and child, but the Bag Ladies - an IT consultant, an ambulance technician, a massage therapist and a climate change consultant - found they were pushing an open door. "We could hardly find any opposition at all to people not using plastic. They all said it made sense," said Louise Marix-Evans, one of the women, yesterday. "We sent a leaflet to all 6,000 households in the town, and we talked to all the traders and the Co-op supermarket. We showed them a film about the damage they do and only three were hostile. Since then, one has come round. We said we would be happy if 80% of the town shops changed but it's way more than that."

The switch is taking place gradually, with some shops running down their stocks and others offering a mix of string, corn starch and cotton bags. "Some are asking for a contribution but plastic is definitely on the way out in Hebden Bridge," says Ms Marix -Evans. "It's a no-brainer. They are not greatly loved, sometimes they're useful, but we've all had enough of them. People want to do stuff. "

North Berwick, near Edinburgh, may be next. The seaside town of 7,000 people has sent out questionnaires to households and of the 400 replies 98% approve a switch. "It's very difficult to find anyone opposing a change. They almost want the change from plastic to be imposed on them, they want someone to take the lead," said Robin MacEwen, a retired civil servant in the Scottish Assembly's justice department. "I think the politicians have been slow to detect this and would get a lot of support if they took more action."

Less ambitious, but following the French model where supermarkets have stopped using flimsy plastic bags, is the Amberley stores and post office in West Sussex. Next week Roger Townsend, one of the shop's trustees, will deliver a biodegradeable cotton bag to all 300 households in the area and stop offering plastic. "Frankly, asking everyone whether they approve would be going over the top," he said.

"Let's be bold and take the initiative," said Chris Hogwood, a spokesman for the 33 London councils who last week launched a consultation on whether to ban bags completely, or put a levy on them, as in Ireland. "Lots of people want an outright ban. There's no reason it cannot work in the capital. It's crazy that other cities can do this," he says.

Back in Modbury, Ms Hosking says her small West Country revolution is now complete. "There's no way Modbury is going back. It's been a total success and being plastic bag-free is now very much the norm for us all. To the point that if we go shopping in another town and are offered a plastic bag it's quite a shock to the system.

"But for me the best thing that's happened is news of Modbury in the Guardian made it back to Hawaii and the island of Maui, where I filmed some of the most upsetting footage of plastic bags killing marine animals. In the past three months Maui has been in the process of passing the first stages of a bill to make the island and its 125,000 residents plastic bag-free within three years."

Six easy steps

1 Do it yourself, or with a group. Don't rely on councils or supermarkets.

2 Get the trust of the traders. Approach them directly. A handout is not enough.

3 Gauge public support to encourage supermarkets and multiples to take part.

4 Learn about what plastics are doing to the environment.

5 Research every type of alternative bag on the market.

6 Set a date.

Rebecca Hosking www.plasticbagfree.com