Say NO to plastic bags

heroicnich

I went to Ikea last night, and rather than buy one of those awful multiplying plastic bags, just carried everything I had bought in pockets, handbag etc. Why buy a plastic or blue bag? But I did wonder if it wouldn't be even more environmentally friendly (although not a perfect plan) to encourage people to use the yellow bag (or its replacement) to take things out to their cars, then returning the yellow bag (like a supermarket basket)?

Joscar

Thanks for the feedback gromituk - always interesting to see different points of view :beer:
Do you really think the products will get cheaper if they stop suppliying bags? Or the profits larger? :rolleyes:


You will never convince me that the evil tax man is anything other than an evil money grabber though :eek:

Mrs_B_12

I regularly use local shops for everyday bits and found I often ended up with several bags a week needing recycling. I use the Tesco bags for bin liners and other dirty waste before I put it into the wheelie bin so don't need extra. I went to the local indoor market and bought a shopping bag and now I rarely have any extra bags, amazing how many shops go to put my stuff into plastic bags even if I have my shopping bag and the ready on the counter right under their nose. :rolleyes:

flashman_62

Anybody know where you can buy old fashioned string shopping bags? I remember my mum having one but have tried local bag shops without success.

I use the local market for my food and they use plain brown paper bags, which I put into my compost heap, but then they put them into a blue plastic bags

I dont really want a Supermarket plastic bag for life cos i dont want to advertise for them...

gromituk

Well this puts rather a different slant on it!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4836766.stm

EssexGirl

gromituk wrote:

Well this puts rather a different slant on it!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4836766.stm

So it does. I just think it's a government excuse not to do anything about it.

I pack my shopping into "free" bags each week. They then get used as bin bags or taken into work to be re-used, no-one ever brings a carrier bag into a library to take their books home..! I also give them to a local charity shop and recycle dead ones.
If I already have a bag, and can fit another purchase into it, I always refuse another bag. I've not had any snotty shop assistants yet. I always say I'm doing my bit for the environment! I do think life with no carrier bags would be harder. Wet clothes, nappies, dog poo, rubbish they all need some plastic protection.

I can see things from a different angle as well. We live very close to a large landfill site. When I am out walking the dog, the amount of plastic that gets blown about in the surrounding countryside is shocking. It sticks to the fences surrounding the landfill, gets blown into a local lake, thus affecting the wildlife. The landfill operates a system that ignites the gasses that are produced underground, there is a constant blue flame due to this. It also stinks and has a fly problem during hot weather and they want to extend the opening for another 3 years of hell. It was supposed to be a country park by next year, but that won't earn them millions more in profit. Plastic isn't the only problem. Since we have recycled everything, we only fill a quarter of our wheelie bin each week.
Pity others don't follow suit. People should be fined for not recycling and companies should be fined for using excessive packaging.

Rant over!

sandieb

Why do supermarkets not use big strong paper sacks as in the US?

I don't always remember to take my calico bag(s) shopping, although it's getting to be much more of a habit now and it would be preferable to have a supermarket brown paper bag if necessary. I guess cost is the reason.

I was delighted some time ago to buy a cotton shirt locally from Bishopston Trading and they put it into a lovely little calico shopping bag. By using it, I am advertising but it's a very ethical shop so no problem there.

Apologies if this has been covered earlier in this very long thread, which I've not yet had time to read.

sandieb

flashman_62 wrote:

Anybody know where you can buy old fashioned string shopping bags? I remember my mum having one but have tried local bag shops without success.

I use the local market for my food and they use plain brown paper bags, which I put into my compost heap, but then they put them into a blue plastic bags

I dont really want a Supermarket plastic bag for life cos i dont want to advertise for them...

I just entered "string shopping bag" on Ebay and there are lots to choose from - loads of colours too.

lynzpower

gromituk wrote:

Well this puts rather a different slant on it!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4836766.stm

*RANT ALERT* *RANT ALERT*
Well not really.

This is basically a) an opinion and b) stating that the environmental damage of carriers is from a predominantly landfill perpective. (seems a shame to put this in the science section)

I think there are various layers to the amount of environmental degradation involved in the CB
1) landfill
2) the oil that is used to make the plastics, how its drilled and the lack of oil we have and wasting it on such mindless pursuits as a poxy bag for tiny purchases ( i was offered a bag for a pint of milk only yesterday, Im like, no I only live over the road, no need, shop assistant looked insulted etc, you know the drill)
3) transporting those carrier bags up and down the land and internationally
(yes, some retailers import thier carrier bags from china and other far flung places)
4) the amount of electricity, and other chemical resources needed to print adverts on the side of bags colour them etc.

I dont remember throwing any carriers away we reuse them to the death, then recycle them, or if we are over run with the wrong sized ones that dont fit in the bin ( I empty the bathroom & bedroom bin contents into the kitchne bin so the same bags have been in those rooms for a while), then I give them to the charity shop who reuses them and Ive also been known to leave some spares in lidl near the tills to save fellow skinters a few pence.

I did however notice this "Marks & Spencer reports using three times as many lorries to transport alternative bags to their Irish stores with a resulting rise in exhaust emissions and traffic nuisance." Well, six and half a dozen really isnt it? . Maybe in ireland shop- assistants are equally as reluctant to let people use thier own bags. Or that people have fallen off the green wagon a bit by thinking its paper its green, I'll take one.

"Deprived of thin bags, people have had to buy tailor-made bags. Tesco reports selling 80% more pedal bin liners and SuperQuinn supermarket 84% more disposable nappy bags; these are thicker and use more resources"
INteresting use of the word Deprived there. Anyone would think she was biased!! If you CHOOSE to use nappy bags, or swing bin liners you should pay for them, why should the green consumer subsidise others who choose to make wasteful and ungreen purchases. Its not something I can see in my lifetime ever needing to buy. I have a wormery( when it works!), and my children will use terry nappies, as I did. we use one recycled bin bag a week for predominantly plastics that my LA wont collect.

I like the way she says "Putting a tax on carrier bags does nothing to help the environment. It simply adds costs and penalises those who can least afford to pay - the elderly and those without cars" Really? Many elderly people Ive worked with either a) have thier shopping delivered as they are too infirm to come out, or use a shopping trolley to help with thier mobilisation c) end up getting a cab to get it home anyway if they are infirm d) use jute bags as they are not so painful on arthritic hands etc e) use jute bags etc and old fashioned "shoppers" as they always have eg my late nan used to say "oh I dont bother with that rubbish they always rip"

I am someone without a car, and I intend to stay that way ( partly cos Im so tight) do carrier bags really help me? Not really. I have jute bags and a sporty rucksack and I manage fine on the bus, thanks very much. Do I feel marginalised by this? NO. Would I prefer to do my weekly shop using jute bags & a rucksack taking the weight on my shoulders or have cheapie plastic bags slicing my hands to ribbons and strangling the planet at the same time?
erm....

Sorry for the rant guys, this is one issue that winds me up. Cheers to previou poster emailing Tony Blair now about it.

And I will link to this thread I think too.

Keep it green
Lynz

EagerLearner

Interesting article - I still think that accepting *the odd* plastic bag is ok as you can re-use it therefore avoiding buying thicker nastier ones. I use shopping bags for bin liners, gym clothes, keeping food in fridge etc so they get plenty of use. *However*, I would prefer it is the supermarket gave good quality paper bags all round rather than free thin pvc ones or thick bags for life etc.

Anyone who is really against accepting shopping bags and does not accept them due to environmental concerns, surely also therefore not buy the thicker bin liners every week due to these same concerns.

Either way, good to see it being talked about & recognised as something people want to improve...

EagerLearner