In Defence of the Plastic Bag

moonrakerz

I really must come to the defence of the poor old plastic bag. It appears to have replaced the "standby" light on televisions as the thing that will single-handedly bring about the total destruction of planet Earth in the next few years - this is Rubbish !

The plastic bag has its place, but being an inanimate object it has no say where it ends up. Tesco/Asda/M&S etc, etc didn't put those bags all over the British countryside and in the middle of the Pacific Ocean - sorry folks - but you did !

The plastic bag has been demonised by such august authoritative publications as the Daily Mail and band-wagon jumpers such as publicity hungry MPs. (I bet they use them to carry home their shopping which they are claiming on expenses - except theirs will say Harrods, not Tesco, on them !!!) Now we have central Government on the band-wagon with the threat of a TAX on the plastic bag - what a wonderful wheeze ! and they could say, with a straight face, that the public want this additional tax burden.

It is lightweight, very strong and requires vastly much less transportation than paper bags. It can be re-cycled (like paper)and re-used numerous times (unlike paper) , my council tells me to wrap smelly stuff in them now they only empty my bin every two weeks. If I had a dog, I could use them to collect its "arisings". I can get three or four in my coat pocket for re-use, then they go in the recycling bin at Sainsbury's.

There is too much plastic packaging around - why does everything have to be in a plastic bubble which is then arc-welded to a sheet of cardboard ? Unfortunately this isn't as visible as a bright orange or luminous green carrier bag flapping in the hedgerow. The plastic bag is the wrong target. Read the facts about plastic bag consumption in the Irish Republic post bag-tax, it isn't quite as the Daily Mail would have us believe. By all means reduce the consumption of plastic bags, use cloth bags, use rigid plastic boxes to fit the boot of your car - reduce the consumption of everything you use, find a better target to ban:- junk mail for a starter !

I have just read in another thread on this site that "it would be a better world without the plastic bag" - I'm afraid it wouldn't be, the plastic bag has been a godsend - it just needs us to use them properly.

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mark13

I was in Hungary a few years ago and visited the local Tesco supermarket, 2 things that struck me, the first being that I couldnt use my clubcard, the 2nd being that there were no free carrier bags, the locals all brought their own bags with them as a matter of course. Luckily I wasnt doing a big shop and ould carry my goods out in my arms !!

Also, if many of us are using our own bags, the supermarkets will be making a saving as well, as they will not have to supply as many. Tesco do provide green points which is passing some of the money back to the consumer, but I dont think other merchants do... could be wrong.

economiser

What am I going to do for pedal bin liners if Tescos et al stop providing plastic bags?

chuckles1066

What I can't stand are the double standards exhibited by this shower of !!!!!! that passes itself off as a Government.

The UK has raked in millions in VAT over the years via the price that supermarkets pay the plastic bag manufacturers.

Likewise, the plastic bag manufacturers have themselves paid millions in CGT and VAT.

The UK Government mantra is, and has always been, if something's bad then we'll tax it and then it's all alright.

ploddingalong_2

moonrakerz wrote: »

I really must come to the defence of the poor old plastic bag. It appears to have replaced the "standby" light on televisions as the thing that will single-handedly bring about the total destruction of planet Earth in the next few years - this is Rubbish !

The plastic bag has its place, but being an inanimate object it has no say where it ends up. Tesco/Asda/M&S etc, etc didn't put those bags all over the British countryside and in the middle of the Pacific Ocean - sorry folks - but you did !

The plastic bag has been demonised by such august authoritative publications as the Daily Mail and band-wagon jumpers such as publicity hungry MPs. (I bet they use them to carry home their shopping which they are claiming on expenses - except theirs will say Harrods, not Tesco, on them !!!) Now we have central Government on the band-wagon with the threat of a TAX on the plastic bag - what a wonderful wheeze ! and they could say, with a straight face, that the public want this additional tax burden.

It is lightweight, very strong and requires vastly much less transportation than paper bags. It can be re-cycled (like paper)and re-used numerous times (unlike paper) , my council tells me to wrap smelly stuff in them now they only empty my bin every two weeks. If I had a dog, I could use them to collect its "arisings". I can get three or four in my coat pocket for re-use, then they go in the recycling bin at Sainsbury's.

There is too much plastic packaging around - why does everything have to be in a plastic bubble which is then arc-welded to a sheet of cardboard ? Unfortunately this isn't as visible as a bright orange or luminous green carrier bag flapping in the hedgerow. The plastic bag is the wrong target. Read the facts about plastic bag consumption in the Irish Republic post bag-tax, it isn't quite as the Daily Mail would have us believe. By all means reduce the consumption of plastic bags, use cloth bags, use rigid plastic boxes to fit the boot of your car - reduce the consumption of everything you use, find a better target to ban:- junk mail for a starter !

I have just read in another thread on this site that "it would be a better world without the plastic bag" - I'm afraid it wouldn't be, the plastic bag has been a godsend - it just needs us to use them properly.

Fantastic post:T :T Couldn't agree more, especially about junk mail:eek:

mech_2

I think there's some truth to this. I have some experience of clearing up other peoples' rubbish.

Apart from the immediate area around supermarkets themselves, plastic carrier bags do not figure highly amongst discarded plastic. Far more common in everyday litter: plastic drinks bottles, then crisps and chocolate wrappers, and polystyrene takeaway trays.

I would say the largest volume of fly-tipped plastic comes from the electronics industry. Discarded printers, stereos, TVs, telephones and other electronic devices, various cables, shaped expanded polystyrene, some bubble wrap, clear plastic bags, and of course hard plastic packaging. And lately an awful lot of discarded video tapes. Surprisingly few children's toys except for kids' bicycles (which are mostly scrap metal anyway).

Smints and Tictac boxes don't figure highly, but they annoy me a lot, as the packaging is more substantial than the product.

vicksg_2

I'm sorry, I couldn't disagree more. Plastic bags are NOT recyclable - they are reusable and those are two very different things. Anyone who uses their plastic carrier bag more than once is doing a great thing and I;m not knocking that, but the important thing is - what happens to it after those two or three uses?

The answer is that they either contribute to landfill and its resulting problems (running out of space, damaging emissions and more). Or (even worse) they cause all sorts of problems for wildlife and the environment.

Every bit of plastic that has ever been made still exists because it doesn't degrade. This cannot go on.

Using carrier bags as bin bags is certainly better than not reusing them at all, but after that extra use they still end up as landfill or worse.

A carrier bag tax or ban is very likely - do yourselves a favour and get used to using a reusuable shoppng bag now.

Right, I'm off my soapbox now!

mech_2

Well you can recycle plastic carrier bags at Tesco or Sainsbury's stores and probably elsewhere. So they are recyclable.

I don't see why a tax or ban on plastic carrier bags is so inevitable when I see far more discarded plastic bottles and there are no plans to tax or ban those. That was my point.

At least I can reuse plastic bags each time I go to the supermarket, but I can't take back plastic milk bottles for refilling. At best they end up being recycled every time.

geordie_joe

vicksg wrote: »

I'm sorry, I couldn't disagree more. Plastic bags are NOT recyclable - they are reusable and those are two very different things.

This thread is about carrier bags, not plastic bags. I know carrier bags are made of plastic, but most ARE recyclable.

vicksg wrote: »

Anyone who uses their plastic carrier bag more than once is doing a great thing and I;m not knocking that, but the important thing is - what happens to it after those two or three uses?

That is a good point, but I suspect you haven't thought it through.

vicksg wrote: »

The answer is that they either contribute to landfill and its resulting problems (running out of space, damaging emissions and more). Or (even worse) they cause all sorts of problems for wildlife and the environment.

Well, damaging emissions? You state below that "Every bit of plastic that has ever been made still exists because it doesn't degrade." This means they have not given off any emissions. They are still there completely in tact

vicksg wrote: »

Every bit of plastic that has ever been made still exists because it doesn't degrade. This cannot go on.

Or to put it another way, we are storing plastic in the ground for future generations to reuse.

Trees die and get buried then partly decompose. We dig them back up again and burn them, it's called coal.

We bury plastic and in the future someone shouts "Hey guys, we don't need to make plastic no more, there's tons of buried down here. It's a plastic mine, we're rich!!!!"

vicksg wrote: »

Using carrier bags as bin bags is certainly better than not reusing them at all, but after that extra use they still end up as landfill or worse.

Yes but it's not the bags the rubbish is in that is causing the problem, it's the rubbish that's in the bags. Plastic bags don't fill land fill sites, it's what's in them that does that.

You can swap your plastic bin bag for a paper one and think you are green, but it won't alter the fact that you have put a bag full of rubbish into land fill.

vicksg wrote: »

A carrier bag tax or ban is very likely - do yourselves a favour and get used to using a reusuable shoppng bag now.
Right, I'm off my soapbox now!

Maybe, but it won't actually do any good. It's not the bags the rubbish is in that's the problem, it's the rubbish that's in the bags!!!!

geordie_joe

mech wrote: »

I don't see why a tax or ban on plastic carrier bags is so inevitable when I see far more discarded plastic bottles and there are no plans to tax or ban those. That was my point.

Because everyone "seems" to be against carrier bags, so they can put a tax on them and not inure the wrath of the people.

Just as they increase the tax on tobacco and get away with it because all the none smokers agree with it. Not many people are going to stand up and defend the carrier bag.

Nobody is complaining about plastic bottles, so they aren't "evil". I bet if I started a campaign to persuade people that plastic bottle were the biggest polluter on the planet I could get a tax on them.

moonrakerz

vicksg wrote: »

I'm sorry, I couldn't disagree more. Plastic bags are NOT recyclable

Right, I'm off my soapbox now!

Plastic bags are recyclable, the reason that you don't see many recycling centres collecting them is because they are lightweight. Councils get "brownie points" and money on the weight of stuff they send for recycling - so they don't bother with plastic bags.

Usually it's only the evil supermarkets that make, at least, a token effort.

PS: If you've finished with the soap box make sure you recycle it !