Green taxes -Plastic bags to be banned ??

geordie_joe

moonrakerz wrote: »

This is just another "knee jerk" reaction to jump onto the "green" bandwagon.

The "initiative" on plastic carrier bags in the Irish Republic, oft quoted as the way to go, now seems to have backfired somewhat.
According to the Today programme this morning, the Irish now expect a better quality plastic bag now that they are paying 15c for it. As a result Ireland is now using more plastic to make plastic bags than when they were free !

Ah well, back to the drawing board !

The sales of pedal bin liners also went up. Most people reuse carrier bags for something else when they get them home, as bin liners etc.

Cardew

geordie_joe wrote: »

The sales of pedal bin liners also went up. Most people reuse carrier bags for something else when they get them home, as bin liners etc.

I agree with that. Also with fortnightly 'dustbin' connections, any refuse likely to smell is normally sealed in a carrier bag before placing in the bin.

All the publicity this morning on TV was about whales and turtles mistaking plastic bags for jellyfish and eating them!

Living some 60 miles from the sea, I assume that my local council do not dump their refuse in the sea!!!!!

sparklygirl1

I have to say that it really annoys me that shops just assume you need a plastic bag instead of asking. I think we should be like in Hing Kong, where in some places they charge $20 for a plastic bag, it would soon change our useage of the bags. It isn't really about the tax and what it get used for, but the fact that it would help people remeber to use their own bags. Something which we should all do.........

sparklygirl1

Actually heres a link for you guys to look at http://www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/turtles/turtles+in+the+uk

scheming_gypsy

I agree Sparklygirl. Charging for useage of bags would change the way i think about shopping and the usage of bags.
Instead of going to Asda and nicking a few extra ones to use as bin bags and dog poo bags, as soon as they start charging i'll start ordering online without any bags. Let them deliver without using any carrier bags, either the driver will have to walk items to the door and put them in the hall or he'll have to let me take the blue tubs in the van into the kitchen and unpack each one before he can go. Either way i reckon it'll cost them more in time that it would cost me if i paid 5p a bag.

geordie_joe

scheming_gypsy wrote: »

I agree Sparklygirl. Charging for useage of bags would change the way i think about shopping and the usage of bags.
Instead of going to Asda and nicking a few extra ones to use as bin bags and dog poo bags, as soon as they start charging i'll start ordering online without any bags.

Yes but what will you use as bin bags and put the dog poo in?

Carrier bags are used for more things than carrying your shopping home. I have a small kitchen and threw out my swing bin months ago. This is because my kitchen is small and I don't have a bin outside. The procedure was, put the rubbish into the swing bin, which had a bin liner in it. When the swing bin was full full the bag was transfered to a black bag, which was kept next to the swing bin until collection day.

Then I threw out the swing bin, replaced it with two hooks on the wall and hang a carrier bag on them for the rubbish. When they are full I tie them up and put them in the black bag.

If I stop getting carrier bags from the supermarket I will have to buy a swing bin and liners for it. Which means I will still be using the same amount of plastic.

There are all the other uses carrier bags have, picking up dog poo, bringing your wet swimming gear back from the baths, etc. If you don't have the carrier bags to do that then you will have to buy plastic bags!

Search for the town that first went carrier bag free, on there web site there is a great page about the alternatives. These reusable cotton bags were rejected because they do more damage than the plastic ones.

Take Ireland, it banned carrier bags and now uses more plastic!

I think banning carrier bags is just a band wagon people are jumping on without thinking.

scheming_gypsy

i'll just have to use sandwich bags but i'm the same as you with carrier bags although quite often they go from kitchen to big bin rather than blag bag.