Plastic Bag Charging Regulation

[newbie99]

Could some one please clarify the position for small shops whether they need to charge for plastic bags from 5th Oct 2015 as the laws comes in.

Thanks.

[Jackdaw33]

The other silly thing is that they list items for which you need not charge. However should you add an item not on that list then you must pay. Solution? If you have two non-chargeable items and one chargeable, you merely say, "I don't need a bag for that, I'll just carry it". Once outside the store you put it in the bag. I'm looking forward to this; it will drive assistants mental.

[B00]

I'm one of those assistants Jackdaw, and believe me, we don't care how you carry it out the store or in what- as long as you leave ;-)

[Jackdaw33]

Quite, if it were necessary, then a simple levy on all plastic bags, the revenue to go the government, would suffice.

[annieigma]

Apparantly, in Ireland i think, but may be wrong on location, when they started charging for bags, the sales of bin liners went up by an enormous amount. I use ASDA plastic free carrier bags in my pedal bin, so they are being re-cycled and finish up in the tip the same as bin liners, also plastic.
I, luckily, have saved enough plastic bags to last me forever, but i do think that most bags have a second life, such as putting over muddy shoes when you come into the house, in the garden when picking veg etc. covering the strimmer head when taking it to someone elses house, filling with the kids rubish when cleaning the car, scrumping,putting your hand in when picking up a toad and many more uses, how will we live without them?

[Baldric]

Getting to you is it tampaz?

[B00]

well i wish you'd let go of it, it's making you giddy

[ummmm]

Annie - not sure about the cities in Ireland but elsewhere you have to buy special bags if you want them picked up and they aren't cheap. Otherwise you have to take everything to the recycling centre yourself.

[EDDIE51]

Boo, I was meaning the trading standards people.
They make test purchases to make sure shops stick to the rules on restricted items like booze. This will give them a whole new area to check.

[Mamyalynne]

Strange fetish you have there Tampaz (always have to double check I've spelt that right).

[Jackdaw33]

...especially as the z key is right next to the x key;)

[B00]

oh right gotcha Eddie- I genuinely can't see shop assistant not adhering to it to be honest, if they owt like me they'll take a sadistic pleasure in asking for the 5p :-)

[Mamyalynne]

Very good.

[eanceoil]

The bin bags mentioned on sale in Ireland are €6 if you don't have a wheelie bin for household waste, the recycling bags on alternate weeks are €1.50, if you decide to rent wheelie bins the recycling bin is free

[EDDIE51]

The actual answer to this was on the link in the 1st answer. Businesses with under 250 employees do not have to charge for bags.