Charges for plastic bags

[Deleted User]

Hi,

here's how to save the 5p charge, look.

kerri_gt

marvin wrote: »

It is only the thin bags they have to charge for not all bags, they don't have to charge for paper bags nor if their total number of employees are 250 or less.

So your clothing, which would usually come in a thicker bag or a paper bag should not need to be charged for unless the retailer wishes too.

Clothing / home stores in Scotland charge for bags - ones I've been in at least such as Tiger, which have strongish carrier bags and I would think more than 250 employees. Are the rules different in England?

[Deleted User] wrote:

Hi,

Does your council not supply you with the free bags for food waste, just get a new roll of them when needed.

Also, those charity bags for clothing, I get about 1 a week through the letter box, are a good size for rubbish.

Our council doesn't supply caddy bags - tbh I just gather tea bags and vegetable peelings in a bowl in the kitchen and put them out in the big caddy once a day. Give the big caddy a good bleach out once in a while.

System

It's 250 employees or more for the entire company, not for the shop. Some people think shops that have less than 250 employees on the shop's books

marvin

kerri_gt wrote: »

Clothing / home stores in Scotland charge for bags - ones I've been in at least such as Tiger, which have strongish carrier bags and I would think more than 250 employees. Are the rules different in England?

In a word yes

It is only single use plastic bags below a certain thickness which are being charged for.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-why-were-introducing-the-charge/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-why-were-introducing-the-charge

clarryd

I absolutely hate plastic carrier bags and think trying to get the number going to landfill sites should be reduced BUT if someone goes shopping for a pint of milk, loaf of bread and yes those other shopping items you really didn't go for but the supermarket have placed strategically around the shop on your way to the milk aisle. These little impulse products that we all buy
and keep the shops in business, because if you only ever bought what we would be very boring shoppers, and the shop would not have as much variety of produce.

Sorry my point being if I went with my own bag(s) and at the checkout but need 4 or 5 extra bags I will not be buying extra carriers at 5 pence each, I would rather just get the milk and bread as that's all I really needed and the muffins and biscuits etc will just stay on the shelves for someone else to buy.

I think people will be devided on this one, but when T K Max did the same thing a few years ago people walked out of the shop with their goods in their hand, refusing to pay the extra 5p.

kerri_gt

marvin wrote: »

In a word yes

It is only single use plastic bags below a certain thickness which are being charged for.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-why-were-introducing-the-charge/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-why-were-introducing-the-charge

Unless I'm reading it wrong, the England guidelines States bags of 70microns thick or less should be charged for, the Scotland law is 49microns or less. Doesn't that mean that the England law covers thicker bags than Scotland?

marvin

kerri_gt wrote: »

Unless I'm reading it wrong, the England guidelines States bags of 70microns thick or less should be charged for, the Scotland law is 49microns or less. Doesn't that mean that the England law covers thicker bags than Scotland?

Would appear so but does not cover paper ones at all, so those shopping at Harvey Nics are safe those shopping at ASDA not so .

A._Badger

[Deleted User] wrote:

Hi,

how on earth did folks manage years ago before the introduction of carrier bags?

Anybody remember these?

Yes, I'm sure they were really useful... when shopping consisted of one small tin of evaporated milk, a can of pilchards, three potatoes, eight ounces of broken biscuits and a small white loaf.

Bay

KxMx wrote: »

I did ask another poster elsewhere this but didn't get a reply.

I fully understand we English need to realise the bag charge is in force in all other parts of the UK and appears to work well.

But were there really no moans before the first country introduced it? Everyone outside England went into it blindly and happily and didn't ask any questions? And no grumbling now? None at all?

:A

At the very real risk of repeating myself, I broadly support the charge, and already re-use/use my own bags/shopping trolley in many cases.

But I will now have to buy bin liners so I don't see my environmental impact going down a great deal, and I wonder how many others are in a similar position.

The upcoming 5p bags I am seeing are far superior quality to the current free ones, this is unexpected & good as the potential for re-use increases.

Lots, I would imagine!

clarryd

Just had a thought while reading all the posts.

My local chip shop give carrier bag's away with every order, everything from a carton of curry to a fish supper get's a bag, will be interesting to see how they deal with the new law/or not.

They are India owners and speak very little English. No excuse I know but let's see how they manage.

Do shop's get a fine if they don't adhere, or just a slap on the wrist?.