Ban Plastic Bags?

[Two_Sheds]

Not another ban, you say ! In the scheme of things, they aren't that important, perhaps, but it's a step in the right direction; to reduce waste and clean up our environment.

I'm all for a 5p charge on plastic bags, if it encourages us to cut their use. After all, they aren't disposable at all, they hang around in trees, rivers (and sea animals) for 100s of years. Even the supposedly degradable ones simply break down into a million pieces, they don't magically become invisible.

they do have a use: as emergency bags if you've forgotten to bring one; then as binliners. But they shouldn't be given away in the quantity they currently are: after all, a plastic-wrapped card does not need a second layer of small carrier bag before going into a bigger carrier bag. Utterly ridiculous. I nearly always refuse a plastic bag, but it can be embarrassing if you aren't as bolshy/Steptoe as me. Shop assistants should be asking "do you need a bag" rather than just giving them out automatically.

[smallblueplanet]

I agree ban them, why not?

Many moons ago (mid 70s) when I worked in a supermarket on the Gold Coast, and then more recently here with Ikea, things you bought were packed in big brown paper bags. At least you could compost them. They needn't have been given away they could be 5p a time as an emergency.

[willowstar]

i've noticed more and more shops asking if you need a bag now...WHSmiths and M&S both asked me recently...so things are starting to improve. I am all in favour of charging for bags but then i lived in germany where they have been doing that for at least 20 years so I'm used to the whole taking your own bags shopping thing. Not sure why the UK public and gov. so slow to get into reduce reuse recycle?

[winolover]

i agree !
i use my own bags when i shop at Tesco, and get extra points for doing so.
paper bags is an excellent idea SBP, just like what they use over the states,

[HeyWayne]

i agree !
i use my own bags when i shop at Tesco, and get extra points for doing so.
paper bags is an excellent idea SBP, just like what they use over the states,

Do they cope well with rain? Paper bags that is, not Americans.

We've (LadyWayne and I) been using jutes and other re-useable bags for quite some time now - maybe 2-3 years, and whilst it takes some time to get used to having to remember to take them, you do get there in the end.

I'm all for charging - but I fear I'll hear "rip-off Britain" from the masses.

[smallblueplanet]

Do they cope well with rain? Paper bags that is, not Americans....

They're thick paper - don't you remember the IKEA ones? I don't understand though has it only rained on shopping since the 'invention' of plastic bags.

[marialittlebzz]

Have you heard about the sea of plastic ?
Its a very sad and chocking fact :"An estimated 100 million tonnes of trash is floating in the middle of the North Pacific. This vast sea of plastic garbage stretches for thousands of kilometres -- north of Hawaii to Japan -- covering an area twice that of the U.S. Everything from fishing gear to water bottles to plastic bags are found here says Bill Macdonald of the Algalita Marine Research Foundation" ... I tried to find a map as I saw one once on BBC, it's simply amazing and unbelievable!!
I think we are blind simply because we dont know where the rubbish goes once it's taken away... it is like landfills, when you see pictures of it its just become clear, the rubbish dont disappear, it stays.
Ban plastic, recycle everything, compost... what else can we do, we are powerless !!!

[pigletwillie]

When in town the other day I spied in a shop window a little something that the good lady would love so went in and bought one. The item was wrapped in tissue paper and then carefully placed in one of these gift carriers that come in various shapes (especially handy are the ones for wine bottles).

This one was special though cos it had been freshly made from the day befores newspaper and hemp string. As green as you like and not a bit of plastic in sight.

With reference to supermarket plastic bags, paper bags are not so much more green than plastic ones and I urge anybody to buy the "bags for life" and use them.

[smallblueplanet]

Whats wrong with paper bags then PW?

[HeyWayne]

They're thick paper - don't you remember the IKEA ones? I don't understand though has it only rained on shopping since the 'invention' of plastic bags.

So glad you said paper SBP!

[nick the grief]

Whats wrong with paper bags then PW?

It take more energy to make paper bags and recycled plastic bags than it does to make a normal plaggy bag - daft I know but there you are. There was an interesting interview with the head of M&S yesterday and he made a valid point. Part of the recycle problems is to do with the councils they all have different rules as to what you can and can't put in your green bin

When we first got our we could put in anything that would rot ... now we have a list of stuff we can't put in that is as long as what we can put in Small wonder people think stuff it and just bin the lot

[veg4681]

I don't mind the ban if it teaches people to be more responsible, call it cruel to be kind. Even if plastic bags can be recycled at your supermarket, how many people actually bothers. As much as I try to do recycling, there are an awful lot of people who just won't...you just have to go to their houses and check their bin content, it makes me depressed.

Currently I use mine as bin liners and also reuse the old plastic bags instead of using the supermarket fresh ones but don't always remember to take them with me. In Australia they have green reusable bags (very strong yet can still be folded up to fit into a hand bag) that are more widely used but UK disgracefully still lags behind other western countries on green issues/policies/measures. Probably only comes ahead of countries like Mafia ran Italy.

BTW our village's recycling centre just had a new recycling bank for a beverage carton (for milk, fruit juice etc). Now I've never seen this before but why on earth did they not have this earlier . We're still missing the plastic recycling bank so have to dispose them at local Sainsbury.

[pigletwillie]

Paper bags need making to replace used ones, the paper making process is quite heavy on energy use and the finished product being quite bulky and heavy requires transport far in excess than plastic bags. Also you need to source paper pulp and whilst recycling helps, new pulp needs adding to the mix and that means trees from the baltic states, which although sustainable require transport to the uk for use.

A bag for life is just that, made once and reused over and over again.

[smallblueplanet]

The world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from Hawaii to Japan - Environment - Independent.co.uk

A "plastic soup" of waste floating in the Pacific Ocean is growing at an alarming rate and now covers an area twice the size of the continental United States, scientists have said.

The vast expanse of debris – in effect the world's largest rubbish dump – is held in place by swirling underwater currents. This drifting "soup" stretches from about 500 nautical miles off the Californian coast, across the northern Pacific, past Hawaii and almost as far as Japan.

Charles Moore, an American oceanographer who discovered the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" or "trash vortex", believes that about 100 million tons of flotsam are circulating in the region. Marcus Eriksen, a research director of the US-based Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which Mr Moore founded, said yesterday: "The original idea that people had was that it was an island of plastic garbage that you could almost walk on. It is not quite like that. It is almost like a plastic soup. It is endless for an area that is maybe twice the size as continental United States."

According to the UN Environment Programme, plastic debris causes the deaths of more than a million seabirds every year, as well as more than 100,000 marine mammals. Syringes, cigarette lighters and toothbrushes have been found inside the stomachs of dead seabirds, which mistake them for food.

[smallblueplanet]

....
A bag for life is just that, made once and reused over and over again.

I'm concerned about the use of plastics, but a 'bag for life' is not an alien concept to me - I'm old enough to remember string bags for your shopping.