Topic: carrier bags

[ACE]

Am I missing something. Somerfields are stopping free plastic carrier bags altogether. Do we clap or boo. All the others will follow suite soon. Then where will all the bin liners, dog walkers poo bags, nappy bags etc come from. You will be able to buy them from somerfields, still made out of plastic, good for all the  tasks mentioned, more than likely the same shape.

Who are they kidding!

[tim]

And the recyclable ones at 6p each.

Meanwhile, we are having to buy bags to put all our dross into - or our surplus runner beans for a friend.

[Borlotti]

I think I agree that plastic bags should be stopped, although I admit I do use them for bin liners etc. etc.  The best bag I have folds up, came from Morrisons for 59p and I use it all the time.  My mother always had a shopping bag/basket and think plastic bags are a fairly recent thing.  I think we have to rethink our attitudes.  The Council used to supply black rubbish bags, but don't anymore, I buy them but get quite a few for £1.  Plastic bags can also reusable, so if you give produce away ask for the bag back.  Would have gone to Wyevales to buy seeds but they have stopped my state pension, think I don't live at this address although have done for the past 25 years.  They have stopped it for my own benefit, but can't explain why, I feel a letter of complaint coming on. 

[ACE]

Don't worry about the pension, you would have only wasted it on seeds and plastic bags ;D  It will be there soon with your winter gin fuel allowance.

[cambourne7]

Borlotti good luck in sorting that out!!
Ace why not try using news paper to wrap your beans and stull into :) when you give it away i tend to have a collapsable box in the car for stuff like that and i have some reusable bags for shopping and some reusable ikea bags for messy stuff which wipe clean.

[Paulines7]

I buy nappy bags to dispose of our dog's poo when we are away from the house.  They are very cheap and don't take up a lot of room in your pocket when you set out for a walk.   They are much better than using plastic carrier bags that have holes in them anyway.   :P

[Rosyred]

Our supermarkets are stopping the free plastic bag too, Tesco being one of them and our council have stopped free blacks for about 2 years now. Now I don't mind but the bin men will only take black unless you put it in the road ready for them. And plastic bags at the supermarket I don;t mind unless I run in on the way home for something so while on holiday I brought a small enough bag to fit in my hand bag. Its a start, bet I don;t take my handbag.

[Eristic]

Our supermarkets are stopping the free plastic bag too, Tesco being one of them

I'll believe it when I see it. I use one of the proper bags yet still the checkout staff seem addicted to stuffing everything into plastic bags. Last week I bought a bottle of washing up liquid and some pan scourers and the girl insisted that these items had to be sold in a separate plastic bag in case the top came off and contaminated puss's Whiskers.

[valmarg]

I buy nappy bags to dispose of our dog's poo when we are away from the house.  They are very cheap and don't take up a lot of room in your pocket when you set out for a walk.   They are much better than using plastic carrier bags that have holes in them anyway.   :P

Our council gives bags free for picking up dog nuts whilst out walking them.

valmarg

[valmarg]

What the hell are dog nuts?  I typed dog s**t.

Are dog nuts also known as sphericals, aka balls. ;D ;D

valmarg

[Slug_killer]

My local ASDA decided to stop plastic bags way back when it first became a political subject. (I think that was back in April/May - around local election time).

I think they stopped for a whole week before giving in.

When the checkout girls told me it was to help the environmet, I use to ask why the car park lights were on ALL night long and wasn't charging for (slightly stronger) bags just a con to extract more money from punters.


I've now noticed that Woolies have started charging. But I think that'll stop if the proposed takeover from Iceland Foods Plc. goes ahead.

[OllieC]

As a teenager I helped to start an environment group in two of my schools. I care passionately about the environment and have always done whatever I can; but... China builds a new power station every week, and I'm supposed to worry about a few carrier bags!!! Personally I think it's just more cynical exploitation by the multinationals that exploit our every move...

If you think carrier bags, use them or not, can save our planet, you've missed the point. By miles. What worries me is that there are probable people living in Britain who think they are caring for the environment because they use a plastic bag twice.... Good grief!!!

[Ishard]

You know you can add compost to a carrier bag and plant in them dont you?  ;)

[Froglegs]

What worries me is that there are probable people living in Britain who think they are caring for the environment because they use a plastic bag twice.... Good grief!!!

Ollie from little Acorns mighty oaks do grow!
Don't get me wrong i use carrier bags,infact i grab a few extra at the check out to make sure I've got plenty  to take down the plot as they allways come in handy,but so what if they stop dishing them out there are plenty of alternatives.after all ya granny got by and they did not have the luxury of shopping under the one roof.

[Froglegs]

Even found one for Ace. ;)

[Paulines7]

Wasn't the whole point about supermarkets doing away with plastic bags to do with the fact that they don't rot down and that they are often found littering the countryside? 

In France they don't have any free plastic bags and it's surprising how quickly we get used to the idea each time we are there on holiday.   

I am sure that when British supermarkets do away with them completely that we will all become used to the idea and eventually remember to bring our bags with us.  It's just confusing at the moment not knowing whether or not there will be bags supplied.

[thifasmom]

Yes I know this post is long ::)

I see no problem with the ban, its not like we don't have alternatives, it won't kill you to remember to walk with a non plastic foldaway bag in you handbag or keep one in the car for regular shopping, or one off stops. All plastic is bad and although living without using plastic in modern living is pretty much nigh impossible, it doesnot mean we can't reduce our usage to a minimum when possible.

The argument one person reduced usage won't make a difference because it's only a drop in the ocean is a weak argument, cause it will take many drops to create said ocean. so instead of looking to see who else is reducing, before we make the effort to do so ourselves, just do it and be sure in the knowledge that you yourself are no longer contributing to the problem.

The same way you want to ensure you feed yourself with wholesome food by growing your own I can't quite see the problem in helping to preserve the earths resources  and its environment to ensure future generations can continue to grow good food from an uncontaminated earth.

Here are articles and a few compelling quotes from those articles highlighting the grave situation that is plastic pollution:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/nov/13/plasticbags.pollution

Why are plastic bags so bad?
Around 13bn plastic bags are given free to UK shoppers every year.

The bags can take between 400-1,000 years to break down, and like all forms of plastic they do not biodegrade. Instead they photodegrade, breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits that contaminate soil, waterways and oceans, entering the food chain when ingested by animals.

Many plastic bags end up as waste on our beaches, streets and parks. When a plastic bag enters the ocean it becomes a harmful piece of litter. Many marine animals mistake plastic bags for food and swallow them, with painful and often fatal consequences. Nearly 90% of floating marine litter is plastic.

http://www.jutenotplastic.com/

In the time it takes you to read this 3 million plastic bags will have been produced on this planet. That equates to 500 billion plastic bags a year consuming 60 million barrels of oil to manufacture them.

In the UK alone we use 150 million plastic bags per week, the majority of which end up on landfill sites or being burnt, which releases a plethora of toxic chemicals into the air. Only 1 in every 200 bags is recycled and this requires energy and resources to collect and process the bags.

The alternative is as simple as it is environmentally sound – Use an Eco bag.. Made of jute these bags are strong, spacious and long lasting.

http://www.thetrolleybag.com/pollution.html

15 things you need to know about Plastic Bags
Every year 20 million Australians use approximately 6 billion plastic check-out bags.
A person’s use of a plastic check-out bag can be counted in minutes – however long it takes to get from the shops to their homes. Plastic bags however, can take between 15 and 1000 years to break down in the environment.
In the marine environment plastic bag litter is lethal, killing at least 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year. After an animal is killed by plastic bags its body decomposes and the plastic is released back into the environment where it can kill again.
A Bryde's whale died on a Cairns beach after ingesting 6 square metres of plastic - including plastic bags. Such obstructions in animals can cause severe pain, distress and death.
On land, plastic bag litter can block drains and trap birds. They also kill livestock. One farmer near Mudgee NSW, carried out an autopsy on a dead calf and found 8 plastic bags in its stomach. The loss of this calf cost the farmer around $500.

http://www.worldjute.com/jute_policy/polybag.html

Our planet is becoming increasingly contaminated by our unnecessary use of plastic carry bags. Big black bin liners, plastic carrier bags carrying advertising logos, clear sandwich bags, vegetable bags and a variety of other forms used to carry our daily food items and other items are all polluting our environment. Just take a look around you. Plastic bags can be seen hanging from the branches of trees, flying in the air on windy days, settled amongst bushes and floating on rivers. They clog up gutters and drains causing water and sewage to overflow and become the breeding grounds of germs and bacteria that cause diseases.

[ACE]

I will try and make my point again. I don't care that free carrier bags are coming to an end. I try to use them as little as possible.

What I am saying is, people use old bags for all sorts of things. Now they will have buy plastic bags to do the job, ie bin liners, nappy bags etc.

The supermarkets are crowing about how much they care for the enviroment, but will  sell you plastic bags instead.

So same amount of plastic on the tip.

If the supermarkets really cared they would refuse to sell you plastic bags. But as profit is their only motive they will just carry on giving lip service.

When the government eventually bans free carrier bags they should also ban the sale of plastic bags unless they are biodegradable.

[tonybloke]

I think the point is that if they are free, folk throw them away all over the place. If folk pay for them, they are less likely to litter with them. A decline in 'carrier bag hedges and trees' would not go amiss!! ;)

[Borlotti]

My lovely green reusable bag from Morrisons for 59p (fold up) is made from material.  I even took it to Wimbledon tennis with my packed lunch in. It is not just one or two bags, I try not to take plastic bags but I suppose on average with a big shop end up with about 20 a week, so multiply that by population and it must make a difference and it is not difficult to change one habits.  Milk used to come in bottles which were rinsed and returned. I can remember taking back the soft drink bottles and getting a refund, enough to buy sweets with.  I usually pick up a few cans and bottles when walking about the streets and put them in my recycling, hope people don't think I am looking for any left over alcohol.  I recycle my plastic milk bottles, or use on the allotment, hope they are recyclable but my point is that in the good old days we didn't have all this unnecessary waste.  Paper bags were used by greengrocers, and heaven help me if I didn't take a bag to my greengrocer as if he gave me a bag he moaned and moaned.  That shop doesn't exist anymore so go to the supermarket, if I can't grow it.  I totally agree with from small acorns oak trees grow.  I cannot change the world but will carry on doing my little bit.  Does anyone remember washing the milk bottle tops and saving foil for dogs for the blind.  At work I also used to cut all the stamps off the post (which annoyed my boss as he thought I should be working) and gave them to charity.  Waste not want not as my mother used to say.  Also people are always moaning about the price of food but have you noticed how fat some of them are, they can hardly walk round the supermarket filling their baskets with everything.  They obviously cannot remember rationing during the war and we all survived on little food. I am only 65 not 90 as I sound.