Supermarket plastic bags.

[anotheoldgit]

The Daily Mail used 7 pages of today's paper to highlight it's campaign to get the use of super-markets plastic bags banned.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles /news/news.html?in_article_id=521529&in_page_i d=1770&ct=5

Is this just more brain washing of the general public, (who are once again the ones to lose out) or is it a good idea?

The questions that must be asked are:

(1) How much will the supermarket giants save by not providing plastic bags?

(2) Will they contribute these savings to a good cause?

(3) Could not shops provide their customers with strong recyclable brown paper bags, as they did in years gone by?

(4) If the customer has to provide their own bags, how will he or she manage if they make an unplanned trip into the supermarket, say for instant on the way home from work?

Perhaps some other ABers have questions of their own to contribute on this subject?

[SKA]

Who�s behind this ban bags campaign?
I bet its some paper bag maker who wants large profits!! No one does something like this without it benefitting their bank balances!! (oh I sound so cynical!!)

[Supernick]

Only 10 in 1000 are re-cycled according to this!!! Greenwich Council take ours in the re-cycling so it's not so much a problem.
I'd like to know the stats behind how much the bag usage fell in the trial in the north-east. I'm slightly sceptical because I know that it wouldn't change the number of bags that I use in a supermarket shop. One thing I do get cross about is people using a bag at the newsagent when they buy a chocolate bar or something like that. I always leap and and say that I don't need a bag.
I think that surely the answer is to force the cost onto the supermarkets rather than consumer by making them stock recyclable bags.

[carolegif]

Years ago, you had to use your own bags, I remember my nan taking her bags with her when she went shopping. One downside for the supermarket in this is that people won't buy as much if they have only a certain amount of space (ie bags) in which to put their shopping. People buy more when they get free bags.
Look for a u-turn when shops sell less!
The best recyclable bags are the Tesco hessian ones, they are a good size and cost only �1 each (free voucher for one with this month's Club Card Points).

carolegif

[ludwig]

I currently recycle all my supermarket bags as bin liners.
If I can't do that I'll just have to buy real bin liners - either way a plastic bag is going to end up in the ground.
What they should really be doing is providing bio-degradeable ones.
Sounds like a money making scheme more than anything else.

[vehelpfulguy]

About 6 months ago I decided to STOP using the give away plastic bags from the supertmarket.

I bought a dozen or so strong bags for 10p each (over a few visits) and now whenever we go shopping we take these with us.

I also keep a few in the boot of my car so whenever we make an unplanned visit we use them (or just buy one or two extra bags for 10p each).

I am now amazed when I see people using bag after bag when they go shooping, most of which will probably be thrown straight in the bin.

It only takes a little planning to stop using these give away bags completely.

[meglet]

M&S has announced that they are to start charging for bags...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7268283.stm

I am totally for charging for them instead of banning them.

[SKA]

I do the same as ludwid reusing the bags as bins or to store things in. biodegradable bags would be better!!

[carolegif]

I also use plastic bags as bin bags, but take my hessian bags when I go shopping to cut down on the plastic, I keep these bags in the car so they are always handy. If you go to Lidls, they have always made you pay for bags and people don't seem to mind.

carolegif

[anotheoldgit]

carolegif

Years ago, you had to use your own bags, I remember my nan taking her bags with her when she went shopping.

Yes I also remember my Mum, going shopping with a single wicker shopping basket over her arm. But one should remember in those days the shop was mostly only yards away on the corner of the street.

One did not have freezers or fridges in which to store large quantities of food, so one shopped almost on a daily basis. So much different from today when the supermarket can be miles away, and one shops for maybe a months provisions at a time.

Totally agree regarding Tesco's hessian bags, they are great. But once again, they are costing their customers �1 each (much more than what they must cost to produce) and Tesco are making the saving by not providing a plastic bag.

[carolegif]

My nan had some of her shopping (mainly dry goods)delivered by a boy on a bike with one of those things for boxes on the front. She filled in a little blue book with her order (always the same thing every week). She then shopped for fresh stuff two or three times a week (again always the same thing).
The modern suggestion is to go to the local shops rather than the supermarket which is fine if you have the time and money for car parking.
Launceston in Cornwall has just started free parking in the town centre so that people will come back to the High Street. Good on them!

Down here in the SW we have been paying for M & S bags since the end of January, but they gave us the bags for life for free during January.

carolegif

[homerbart]

can I ask this question. I have finally got a few M&S bags in my car - will have to remember to take them out when I shop. However is it okay to walk into Tescos - do your shopping and bag them in M&S bags and vice versa for any shop you go into.

[Quinlad]

I'm struggling to see what this question has to do with race, immigration or the army.

Are you okay?

[Chickadee]

I get my shopping delivered but the amount of plastic bags they use for the delivery is astounding, but at least they take them back the following week for recycling.

Homerbart - we have recycled bags from all supermarkets and when I do a little bit of shopping I don't worry about whose bag I have so why should they. They are getting my money after all!!

[anotheoldgit]

homerbart

However is it okay to walk into Tescos - do your shopping and bag them in M&S bags and vice versa for any shop you go into.

No problem enough people use Harrods bags to shop in the "Pound Shops" it's called being a snob.

Quinlad

Didn't know that the news topic was only for questions on race, immigration or the Army.

Maybe I should learn to be much more a single thought person such as yourself?

But then I could not be just sit on the fence like a vulture waiting to strike on anyone daring to post a question.

[Quinlad]

Well, it's refreshing to see that you have more strings to your bow.

And you know I love you.

[sp1214]

Typical! They go on about plastic bags but how many extra trees have to be chopped down to make an overkilling of this story?

[fagidill]

I live in Lincolnshire, the lincolnshire co-op which i use at least couple times a week is small fry compared to Tesco,
Morrison's, & Asda. Quess what it state's on Linc's co-op
plastic bag's. 100% degradable whole process takes
3 year's. Several times i have contemplated posting 1 ,
to each major supermarket head office,.Then thought to myself ,why the hell should i do their job 4 them, when they
can afford 2 pay someone megga buck's to spy on each
other to see what each other is chargeing 4 corn flakes
tin's of bean's ect. I am sure Lincoln co-op are aware it is
illegal to print something that is not true.