Supermarkets in England handed out more than 7.6 billion plastic bags last year. That's about 140 bags per person doled out for the weekly shop. And while some would have been diligently reused, those 61 tonnes of bags were part of an environmental problem we can't ignore.
The introduction in England of a 5p charge for plastic bags could make a solid start to reducing the impact of plastic waste. This is something we need to do. These bags that each of us have become so used to using are more than just an eyesore. They are more than a blight on our landscape. They are clogging up waterways, spoiling our countryside, damaging our seas, and suffocating the birds and sealife who ingest plastic.
In recent years, the number of plastic bags being handed out in England has risen. In 2014 we were given 200 million more than in 2013. But the government expects to see a reduction of up to 80 per cent in the use of single-use plastic bags in supermarkets, and up to 50 per cent on the high street. It also expects to see £730 million raised for good causes as the charge is passed on to charities, £60 million saved in litter clean-up costs, and carbon savings of £13 million.
If you were going to list the top 10 things you find most frightening, I'm guessing plastic bags wouldn't feature highly on that list. Even though we know they are dangerous and need to be kept out of reach of small children, we somehow forget that they can kill wildlife that become entangled in them. We don't think about how plastic bags degrade and how plastic enters the food chain. Most of us don't lie awake at night wondering if the fish we ate for dinner has been feeding on small particles of plastic. In the back of our minds though most of us know that plastic bags are not good for the environment and we should stop using them, so why haven’t we?
It's so mundane really, but we have just got into the habit of accepting single-use bags. They are so useful and easy to come by that many of us use them day in, day out. We use them to line our bins, transport things from one place to another and fill with dirty clothes taken off by the kids. Even those who want to change struggle. When I started using reusable bags I would forget to take one with me, or would find that by the time I'd put it on the counter, half my shopping had already been put into plastic bags. It wasn't until I put reusable bags high up in my personal agenda that I managed to make the change.
I'm hopeful that the 5p charge will help put reusable bags high on the majority of people's agendas. Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland have all introduced the charge, resulting in a reduction of around 80 per cent of single-use bags in Wales and Northern Ireland.
In England, the 5p charge could be the prompt many of us need to make the switch to reusable bags. Here are some simple ways to make the transition:
- Put reusable bags everywhere – in your car, handbags, desk drawer at work, basket on your bike and wherever else they might be useful. Put them straight back there after each time you have used them.
- Who needs bin liners? If your bin is plastic you could just wash it out regularly. Otherwise how about lining it with a pillow case, newspaper or other biodegradable materials?
- If you are using a bag to transport something to someone else, take it out of the bag when you get there and take the bag home with you.
- Use a reusable bag for carrying dirty or messy children's clothing in - and pop that bag in the wash along with its contents.
Adding a 5p charge to some single use bags won't address all the disposable plastic waste we bring home with us from the shops. Plastic bags will still be provided for some uses - such as wrapping ready-to-eat food and raw meat. In addition, not all retailers will have to charge customers - for example, retailers with fewer than 250 employees are exempt. But the charge finally brings England in line with the rest of the UK - and hopefully, as well as as opening up a debate, will show people that habits can be changed.
To encourage us all to use a sustainably sourced and ethically made reusable bag for our shopping, Supreme Creations is giving Mumsnet members the opportunity to win one of their beautiful bags.
Enter the prize draw here.