to think a new law to ban plastic bags is absurd given how much other packaging there is?

[bunchoffives]

When I look in my recycling bin - which is huge - it's full of cardboard sleeves, plastic trays, plastic shrink wrap, plastic bottles, some glass, boxes that had plastic bags in them of sugar, boxes with individually wrapped cakes stock cubes etc etc etc.

In other words I pay council tax every month to take away the packaging food manufacturers have already charged me for (in the cost of the food) to help sell me their products.

AIBU to ask why doesn't Shiny Dave pass a law getting manufacturers and supermarkets to reduce packaging before fussing about the comparatively lesser issue of plastic bags?

YABU. It's a start.

They are two separate issues really.

YABU

Yanbu

I would rather they did something about the excessive packaging everywhere else as well.

Aren't most plastic bags in the uk biodegradable anyway? I could be wrong in that.

YANBU. The amount of packaging that comes on toys is fricking ridiculous! Most foods are the same. Supermarkets in this country could probably save the whole fucking planet and stop climate change if they stopped using the astronomical amounts of packaging that they do. Instead make money out of the little people for daring to carry their food around in plastic bags, how dare they!

But do you realise how much time, effort and public money - our money - goes into passing legislation?

Yet the elephant in the room seems like the mountain of packaging every household has to be pay to be removed every week!

YANBU.

People are more likely to reuse carrier bags than most of the wasteful packaging that we get.

yabu
seperate issue

it's a good start

It's a start

And our company does reduce packaging and resources products responsibly anyway.... I believe many do

Can't win with some people though

As long as your company reduces its packaging there is obviously no problem then Joules

Oh and I notice you say ' when I look in my recycling bin amount of packaging is huge'...... Wait! You mean companies are making the effort to use packaging which is RECYCLABLE??

So you have to coordinate a bit of recycling.

Yes but the stuff we sell is available in most places..... In the same recyclable packaging. Which shops are not doing it right then??

YANBU

Not to mention all of the plastic packaging on fruit and vegetables! Totally unnecessary!!!

As others have said, it is a start and we need to start somewhere. But yes, there needs to be more done to reduce packaging even more. Personally I love the nice, big strong paper bags. Also, I don't know about anyone else, but I actually have a whole drawer full of hemp/canvas/other types of bags - most of which I've bought from a supermarket on a whim or have acquired through conferences etc. but because I know I will get a free plastic carrier bag I don't make the effort to take them with me when I go shopping. We need to do something about this.

YANBU. Take the jar of face cream I bought last week. The jar came in a cardboard box which came in a clear plastic box. Ridiculous amount of packaging.

YABU

Buy bags or reuse bags you already have. I know it's a pain to remember to bring bags with you, but it becomes second nature after a couple of weeks.

It's just a start. Hopefully, with some more pressure from concerned people like yourself, we can convince companies to reduce the amount of packaging they use as well.

I don't know the statistics of how much plastic waste overall comes from bags, so don't want to say it's pointless banning them.

But I do totally agree there should be more pressure on manufacturers to reduce plastic packaging, regardless.

We've had this in Wales for ages now. English visitors to my house know to bring me a free supply of bags ;-)

It's fine when you get used to it. It's quite odd at first seeing people carrying items out of a shop without a bag. It looks like everyone is shoplifting.

I keep bags for life in the car and my big hand bag and the supermarkets replace them free of charge when they break.

Good to see England catching up!

But then you get threads like one I read this week about children standing in trollies..... Most of MN felt it was ok because dog poo on shoes can't contaminate because the food is all packaged well enough...

I will add my "it's a start". My parents stay in Wales, where this is already law. They and most others have adapted.

It is just like the old days before plastic bags became the norm (when supermarkets were invented). When we would take the string bag off the hook in the kitchen and pop down to the shops for messages.

When I buy my cat food: 12 pouches in a box (several boxes); I remove the pouches at the checkout and put them into a large bag. The supermarket keep the boxes. We could do this for other items too.

I guess that packaging is so robust because it protects the goods. We would not buy items that were loose and damaged. We have to think of a way to minimise packaging yet protect the goods.

YABU. It's a start, and if you are so inclined you could try to buy things with less of without packaging, and let those that use too much packaging know why you don't buy their product.
I am still amazed by how shocked shop assistants are when I use my own bags ("aren't you organised!"), of when I don't want any bag at all for the one or two items I purchased as I can carry them in my hands!

Thank you, autocorrect, of = or!

Isn't doing both rather than neither more ideal?

I'm astounded by his stroppy people are getting about having their god given right to a plastic bag taken away.

Jesus

It is EASY to use reusable shopping bags. It is less easy to transport goods without packaging and have them arrive in saleable condition - though I think efforts need to be made there too. Most european countries don't hand out free bags anymore/

Don't get me wrong, I do use my own bags already. It's just that if packaging were reduced it would cost us all a lot less all round, be good for the environment AND we'd need less bags anyway.

I just think it's crazy to be passing a law to deal with this issue while ignoring the masses of other unnecessary waste generated by the food/toy/white goods etc industries.