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?

personally i think the shops should be forced to use recyclable paper ones instead,like in america.

Just take your own bags to the shops! It's really not that difficult, is anyone really just too busy and important to take 5 seconds to get a couple of bags out of a drawer before they go out? Fold one up and keep it in your handbag.

The "they're not doing it so why should I?" attitude really annoys me. No one thing ever solved all the problems of the world - problems get solved bit by bit, small steps at a time. I don't see anyone proclaiming that charging for plastic bags will stop climate change in its tracks - but how can reducing the number of disposable bags used every year by several billion be a BAD thing - really?

bump have you seen the state of some of the bags customers trail round with them?? I'm not opening up other peoples bags to put new purchases in..... Just like I don't open their purse to put their change back in for them

viewby it's not going to be a choice individual shops will have.... It's a government decision. End of. Shops can't change that!

Sorry if the has been covered but what happens to the money they make from selling you the plastic bag? Or are they just recouping the cost of the bag? Which is fair enough...assuming there will be savings elsewhere to taken into account the fact that they are no longer giving away free bags.

I'm not sure - but I saw an article today recommending that it goes to fund recycling campaigns (our recycling rate is still pretty crap compared to a lot of Europe).
In Wales it goes to environmental charities I think.
Pretty sure it won't go to the shops though.

A plastic bag levy was introduced in Ireland years ago. At the start if you forgot to bring a bag with you to carry your shopping home, you were charged something like 20c (approx 10-15p) per bag.
Stronger longer lasting bags can be bought for 70c each now which can be reused many many times. Alternatively there are 'bags for life' which are either heavy duty plastic, woven sisal or some other material and they can cost anything from 1 euro up to 4 euro per bag.

The amount of wastage from 'free' plastic bags has been considerably reduced. No one expects a plastic bag. Paper bags are given free in most shops (M&S, Next, Debenhams, Boots for example).

In Northern Ireland clothing shops charge you even for a paper bag which is 100% recycleable and compostable but in the Republic of Ireland these bags are free.

Well the shop buys the bags so why shouldn't they keep the money from them?

Wales have had this for a while.

Seriously it's no big deal

If it existed I am imagining a thread on here in the mid 1970s would have people saying aibu that supermarkets think we will fall for the cheap marketing ploy of getting us to advertise their shop for free by carrying around their 'free' carrier bag, no way will you catch me carrying a scruffy, thin plastic bag that breaks with more than 5 items, not when I have my sturdy basket at home. It will never catch on!

as of when this law comes in, I am going to remove all packaging from items once paid for and leave it at the desk or give it back to the home delivery man. the amount of packaging on say 3 courgettes - plastic cover, plastic tray is ridiculous. its only a little protest and its a pain in the backside/takes time but think we should all do it.

ViewbyaDad My point was not really anything to do with the carrier bags... It's how the government chooses to showcase latest legislation and keep us focused on stuff that is far less important than the real important stuff.

This ^^ is exactly it imho.

We don't really need the idea of avoiding unnecessary plastic to be enshrined in law. Most people already have bought and use the bags4life.

But we would need legislation to make the food industry cut down on the absurd amounts of packaging they use.

Instead of milk in recyclable glass for example, that was collected and recycled providing employment, a fresher product, a bit of a social service - and above all was very good environmentally, we have tonnes and tonnes of plastic milk containers all over the place.

Why not pass a law requiring staged reductions/alternatives of packaging over a decade? Why just this absurd sop of a plastic bag charge?

It makes me so angry. If public money is being used to pay for the cost of passing a law at least let's try and achieve something significant.

I'm with you mummymeister

We'll show 'em! Yay!!

although dread the embarrassment of actually doing it at the till

Its stupid. plastic bags are a tiny amount of plastic waste and these bags for life waste more plastic as they use a lot and get grotty very quickly.

Just makes people feel better but they still buy loads of junk in plastic, total waste of time and money.

why shouldn't everything that comes in a jam-jar or could come in a jam-jar be produced in a standard, reusable jar that can be returned for a deposit, washed and reused

Good idea Corus. I can't see that that would work out more expensive than making them as presumably they still need to be washed/sterilsed before food goes in? Also if the all the labels used that very soluble glue they'd all be easy to remove.

Brt100 yep!

Some of this is down to the shopper themselves though.

Most fruit and veg can be bought loose even in supermarkets (with the exception of things like beans for some reason). I rarely by pre-packed veg and don't use a bag to put items like carrots or broccoli in - I just leave it loose in my trolley.

Its stupid. plastic bags are a tiny amount of plastic waste and these bags for life waste more plastic as they use a lot and get grotty very quickly.

Yet they are a highly visible and horrible blight in our towns, cities, countryside and in the sea. Honestly, what on earth is the problem?

Yes there are bigger environmental problems. That doesn't mean we should do nothing about this one. Stop whining.