Say NO to plastic bags

pol

A couple of years ago, I bought two really good shopping bags from Booths supermarket in Poulton le fylde and when I went back a couple of months later for more, they said they'd stopped doing them because there was no call for them!

I get my string bags from the same place as Badgergal, and I have quite a few now. http://www.incensed.wahmall.co.uk/tr...s/shop_top.php

They are all fairtrade and excellent quality, I posted a cheque off for another two last Friday and they arrived Monday morning with a free pot pourri!

pol

Luiz

Another supplier of cotton bags https://www.organic-ally.co.uk

using bin-bags as liners.... http://www.lakelandlimited.co.uk/product.aspx/!20636 also http://www.thebincompany.com/kitchen_bins.htm

Other uses for carrier bags ! http://www.thebincompany.com/kitchen_bins.htm

I would love it if companies started using biodegradeable/compostable material to make carrier bags, as those bags you can get for your compost bin aren't cheap but do make kitchen composting a whole less messy. Yes I know about lining the bin with newspaper, but the bags are so easy....

Louise

glantawe

There is a simple solution to this problem.
The Irish have the right idea .. Tax each bag you use..Glantawe.

Amynoodle

If you register for Waitrose's self-scan service (where you scan your own goods, so you don't go through the hassle of unloading everything onto conveyer belt to go through the till) they give you free of charge 4 large shopping bags, very high quality, more like picnic bags. Of course there's nothing stopping you using them anywhere else, including at Aldis or the beach! I guess you'd have to do one self-scan shop to set it up, they also I think, promised me a free cool bag after a few uses. Whilst Waitrose is expensive, the reduced to clear meat/fish/cheese on the butcher/deli counter can be total bargains and with self-scan you can keep a running total of what you have spent.

DIESEL_3

It's not just the plastic carrier bags, it's all the fiddley fruit and veg bags, and plastic cartons for your necterines, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, blah blah blah. I'm amazed at how full my bin is after a weekly shop!

I now insist on placing small quantities of loose items on the conveyor belt and when the checkout staff ask me if I want a bag, well, you can probably imagine the reply, especially when you end up paying for the weight of the bag in the first place!

Why is it only mushrooms are sold in paper bags, surely the Yanks have the right idea in using paper bags for groceries!

cottel7

We have a collapsable box in the back of our car. We just chuck everything from the check out back into the trolley and pack, under no pressure back at the car into the box. It stays in the back of the car and since it folds down flat, it takes up no space at all!

tirreni

I use Tesco home Delivery to do my shopping and it really annoys me how many carrier bags they use. Often I'll find one small item in each carrier bag! :mad: Personally I always use their scheme whereby I recycle all my bags by handing them back to the delivery driver next time, however I'm sure a lot of people (a) forget to do this, (b) aren't aware they can do this, or (c) simply can't be bothered.

I've just emailed Tesco via a link on here asking them to please train their staff in not using carriers unneccessarily as there's no excuse for their one-item-per-carrier policy which they seem to often adopt. I await their response.....!

BTW whist we're on the subject of recycling & all things environmentally-friendly, may I remind the ladies here of the fantastic menstrual cups available in Boots!! I've recently bought one myself & it's fab - with NO WASTE! :T :T

kingbing

I use an "onya bag", which I found on a stall at Greenwich market. They are designed as a replacement for plastic bags and fold up incredibly small into a little pouch. They are very light and strong too as they are made of parachute material.

The leaflet that comes with it says their website is https://www.onyabags.co.uk

Beluga_2

Back when supermarkets were charging for carrier bags, I remember there were plentiful supplies of old cardboard boxes (I'm going back about 25 years here!).

You would unload items from your trolley onto the conveyor, and the checkout operator would take them off the conveyor and put them into a trolley at the other side. After paying, you then wheeled the trolley to the back of the store, where you picked up a cardboard box. There were tables where you could pack the box.

Loading and unloading the car was easy (one big box, not lots of small bags). And in terms of the environment it seemed a lot better than today. So much for progress!

ScottR_2

I totally agree that we shouldn't have carrier bags forced on us. Primark are bad for it and so are Matalan. I emailed Matalan's customer services after having a bag forced on me. Their reply was that it is necessary for security, which is rubbish if you already have a bag and a receipt. The sooner a charge starts getting made for bags the better - B & Q already do this and hardly anyone seems to need a bag anymore.