Say NO to plastic bags

gromituk

maryink wrote:

Deposits on bottles, cans and containers of all sorts have been the norm back home for many decades (all my decades anyway)

Bottles used to have deposits on them here too, many years ago.

Other than Netto, Lidl & Aldi I've never seen this sort of thing done in the UK. Can anyone explain why?

I think it's the usual monetary vs environmental cost problem: packaging costs very little in monetary terms, so there is little incentive for the producers to collect and re-use/recycle it; in fact it is likely to cost more. Unless legislation tips the balance in favour of recycling, or a real "green-ness" war breaks out between retailers, it is unlikely to happen.

Bertville

I always use the Bag For Life bags & they usually last for at least 6 months. Also don't often put fruit & veg in bags. Why do people feel the need to put things like Bananas, Cabbage, Cucumber etc in a bag ???:mad:

Another way I save packaging is by using a butcher instead of buying pre packed supermarket meat although the quality & taste is the main reason for this. Supermarkets seem to think we want all pieces of meat to be identical in colour, shape etc & not worried about flavour.

tigernymph

I've noticed that we are accumulating a lot of plastic bags - although we regularly recycle them. One thing that doesn't make sense to me is why at the recycling bakns ( for bottles etc) isn't there a recycling place for plastic bags? All you usually see is a rubbish bin...kinda defeats the object, eh?

I'm now trying to be good - have dug out my old bag for life and just bought a new one. Will make sure one stays in the car! Am already improving in not getting my fruit and veg bagged seperately....we've just got to keep trying in every way we can

gromituk

There are many different sorts of plastic, with varying degrees of difficulty to recycle. That is why my council will only collect milk/shampoo/pop bottles, and not even accept the lids.

orangetan

tigernymph wrote:

One thing that doesn't make sense to me is why at the recycling bakns ( for bottles etc) isn't there a recycling place for plastic bags? All you usually see is a rubbish bin...kinda defeats the object, eh?

At nearly all supermarkets they have big bins (almost like bottle banks) at the entrance where you can recycle your plastic bags. :T

Poppea

DIESEL wrote:

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!

Nowadays I always take those small plastic bags back to the supermarket and re-use them. They tend to last for about ten shops before they give up the ghost. I only ever use them for say a kilo of smaller fruit or veg. Like you say who needs to put three carrots or two bananas into a bag. It's ridiculous!!
As for those plastic punnets, I have stopped, as much as possible,buying produce that comes in them. I am lucky to have a 'pick your own' farm that is quite close where I can take my own reusable containers. In my small garden I also grow a range of fruit and veg. The small greengrocers are better than the supermarkets for both price and using less packaging and if I lived close to one I would never use the supermarket for fruit and veg.
Maybe what we should all do is start unpacking the punnets and leave them in the supermarkets. Then maybe they would get the message that so much packaging is unneccessary

Poppea

EssexGirl wrote:

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!

You say life without plastic bags would be harder but your point about needing plastic protection for nappies in particular made me mad. Surely people shouldn't be using disposable nappies in the first place!!! If you're going to have children shouldn't you care about the environment that will be left for them? Also it's going to be a lot more expensive using disposables. As for dog poo wrapping it up in plastic is the lesser of two evils between that and leaving it on the street. However, where I live a lot of people, who walk their dogs along the cycle paths, bother to put it into a bag and then throw that bag in the bushes. In that case it's better not to bother picking it up. At least it will biodegrade over time unlike plastic!

starlite_2

re. bottle deposit, we went to my o.h's home country last siummer, and there you get the equivalent of 5p (not bad when 1 litre of beer is 30p, milk 15p!) back for returning them.
it is normal practice there, so everyone has crates in their kitchen/yard for empties that they take down when they go shopping.
There are also only two supermarkets in the whole city (it's the capital too!) and everyone shops at the local markets or butchers. Armed with heavy duty shopping bags/pull along trolleys of course!

admittedly due to the culture difference everyone has local grocers/butchers/markets, which isn't the case here, and makes it hard for us not to just 'nip to tesco' etc, ..which is really sad

kittiwoz

Altarf wrote:

sandieb wrote:

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

1- Because plastic bags are cheaper to buy, move and store than paper. 100,000 plastic bags weigh a tonne, but for the same weight you would only get 20,000 paper bags (and American shops frequently 'double bag'). So five to ten times as many deliveries - good for the environment?

2 - Paper bags only works well for customers who only come by car (i.e. Americans) as they have no handles. Otherwise the store has to have both paper and plastic.

Also because it rains a lot (especially if you live in Manchester) and paper bags go soggy in the rain and the bottoms fall out.

I found a free knitting pattern for a string bag which I think would be really useful for groceries here.

Lillibet_2

Tesco getting a bit more ethical AND money saving with their carrier bags:D

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/5244708.stm