Plastic Bags (Rant)

[Romeo]

Went to get my morning bun at the bakers this morning. Two buns actually both put into wee paper bags. Girl then strats to put them in a carrier bag. Surprised when I say that there is no need for that level of packaging as I am only taking them a few doors down, they weigh next to nothing, and they will be gone within 5 minutes.

Got me to thinking though that is it any wonder that there are so many plastic bags floating about in the ocean and stuck in hedgerows. If you are going to need a bag it is so easy to put one in your pocket before you go shopping. It is just laziness not to and the waste generated is enormous and wind blown.

Come the revolution it will be illegal to hand these things out without charging for them.

Rant over.

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[Twister_Ken]

The Irish do charge

10 eurocents a bag, I believe.

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[cameronke]

Hear Hear

And to superfluous packaging in general!

Regards
Cameron

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[DanTribe]

In Holland the supermarkets don't supply free plastic bags. Once you get used to taking your own, it's a more sensible system.
Dan

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[robp]

Yes agree. Two of the best things my wife bought are; A frame that screws on the inside of kitchen base cupboard. Carrier bags fit on it for refuse. Also, a sort of "snuffer" cloth tube that we shove the bags into for later use for rubbish. Got one on the boat. Means they don't go, er, to waste!

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[halcyon]

Re: The Irish do charge

Trago Mill in Cornwall charge, 2 or 4p.

Then in the 50's you always took your own bag.

If we stopped using them, what would happen to the Chinesse economy.

Brian

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[Tomsk]

Re: The Irish do charge

The only supermarket near my marina (Fleetwood) is KwikSave - they charge 1p for a wafer thin bag or 3p for a two wafer bag...

<hr width=100% size=1>Tomsk -

What the hell... it's only money!

 

[Metabarca]

Re: charging bags

All supermarkets in Italy charge for them but not, oddly, the local shops. Supposedly, they're all pretty bio-degradable too. Supposedly.

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[tome]

Re: charging bags

I recall a car driving away from a Standa supermercato in the late 70s. All four windows opened and a plastic bag was despatched from each. I hope they've cleaned up their act a little since.

Their houses were immaculate, but the coutryside littered with rubbish and billboards.

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[westernsailor]

Big change over here in Ireland since the imposition of a 15 cent plastic bag levy.

All shops have to charge for palstic bags, so you now have people buying heavy duty bags with handles and going to the shops with them. I know that in the boot my wifes car is always at lease two of these big bags.

Result
1. A lot less litter.
2. Funds used for environmental projects.


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[tritonofnor]

Can anyone tell me why a sealed tube of toothpaste is put into a cardboard box? Does the box improve the product? no, but it does give a nice flat surface to print the name on, and it makes it easier to stack.! The Germans had the right idea IMHO about ten years ago when they banned "secondary" packaging like this and gave people the right to remove it and leave it in the supermarket! I should imagine the manufacturers would soon get the right idea.....

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[MainlySteam]

I for one would not fancy everyones' sticky hands having been all over the squirty end of my tube of toothpaste (and perhaps even having a taste or internal inspection too) before I buy it.

Perhaps they could do away with the cardboard and shrink wrap them in plastic instead /forums/images/icons/smile.gif.

John

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[Gunfleet]

It's longer than ten years ago - I was living short term in Germany at the time and I developed the 'leave your packaging' habit then. To comply with the law there were great big bins in the centre of the floors of some shops! Nowdays I often give extraneous packaging back to nonplussed English shop persons. I've never had one refuse to take it.

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