Survey shows Britain caught the green bug in 2006

LONDON, Dec 21 (Reuters) Britain got the green bug in 2006, with more than half of the public saying they recycled more and thought more about protecting the environment in the past year.

A survey published today showed 55 per cent of those asked said they had increased recycling of household waste and 53 percent have started to turn off lights and electric appliances to help reduce their carbon footprint.

''2006 has proved to be a tipping point for the eco-warrior, as environmental issues and greener lifestyles have gone mainstream,'' said Helen Osman of the research group Mintel, which conducted the survey together with pollsters YouGov.

''British consumers are clearly becoming more aware of the impact they have on the world around us and are beginning to make changes to their lifestyles.'' Women and the over-50s are leading the green move, but the researchers said their study found awareness and concern about climate change was growing across the population.

But Britain's love affair with the car -- and with cheap flights for foreign holidays on sunnier shores -- is proving a more stubborn eco barrier.

Only one in 10 of the 2,200 people surveyed said they had cut down car use to save energy and just two percent said they had reduced flying because it is damaging to the environment.

The government yesterday said it was providing 2,78,000 pounds of funding towards a 777,000 pound project to develop environmentally friendly plastics which would be biodegradable, but light-weight and durable enough for use in car doors and boat hulls.

REUTERS PKS RN0554