to tell everyone to return the Tesco Bags For Life

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Can we talk about Tesco's Bags For Life because it's pissing me off.

So, everyone agrees that people using and chucking away carrier bags is an issue. Awesome! Government introduces a charge on all plastic bags. Tesco still offers the 5p bags but also 10p bags for life that they promise to replace forever. Good strong bags, nice strong handles. Great!

A while later they quietly get rid of the 5p bags. Fine.

Except now, having clearly realised that most people don't care enough to return a 10p bag, they've changed the design of the Bags For Life. Gone are the nice strong separate handles, instead we have holes in the bag itself which are nowhere near as strong. The plastic itself is much thinner. I've had these die after one use on some occasions. Yes, it's only 10p but it's also one more useless piece of plastic which I'm sure is because they know no-one will call them on their Bags for Life guarantee -- and the amount who do isn't enough to cost them more than they save with cheap nasty bags.

I also worry about the hygiene aspect if meat etc is in the reusable bags

You don't have to put the meat straight into the reusable bag, that's what the sandwich type bags they have at the till are for - they are exempt from the charge so you can double bag meat and fruit if you want to

I also worry about the hygiene aspect if meat etc is in the reusable bags

Really? I never give it a second thought and I haven't died yet.

If I can carry enough bags when walking then I'm sure you can somehow manage it in a car.

This misses the point. Presumably you store your bags in a cupboard when you get home - it is storing the bulkier hessianbags in the boot of a car that is the issue (not for me - I drive a tank). Presumably you don’t carry bulky bags about with you all the time.

You don't have to put the meat straight into the reusable bag, that's what the sandwich type bags they have at the till are for

Or, you could wash the bag and not use even more one use plastic.

My car boot is full of hessian bags and a cool bag for cold stuff, also my reusable cup has joined them now for my free Waitrose cuppa. All this fills the trolley before I even start shopping. Waitrose put the meat and fish into a free smaller version of the 5p plastic bag and I generally put this into the wipable cool bag. It is all a bit of a palaver really.

I always get the bags when doing online shopping. It’s disgusting not to. And I used to not get the bags myself.

Eh, what can possibly be disgusting about not using shopping bags QuackPorridgeBacon?

The state of the crates for example. Something leaked or spilled in them. I’ve seen mild etc. Once I seen that I switched to bags. I’ve ordered from three different places and the crates may vary in cleanliness but they are all dirty. Won’t get the shopping without bags now.

Mould*

It was on Watchdog or Panorama about 6 moths ago about the mould and filth on the crates, it was horrible.

I seen it on watchdog myself. It was quite a while ago now. But I’d already started using bags before seeing it, and it just confirmed it’s an issue rather than my local warehouses being dirty fuckers. I also have an immune suppressed child so I wasn’t taking any risks lol. If you don’t use bags and your crates are very clean then carry on. If mine were clean I wouldn’t use the bags either. The other day there was a congealed pool of white stuff mixed with greenery and what looked like squashed blueberries and strawberries. No thank you.

Much as I dislike bags for life no WAY do I think we should go back to 5p plastic bags.
We have to move onwards not backwards.

Getting rid of thin plastic bags is a brilliant thing. I know its a pita sometimes but we will forget we ever used them in a few years.

But why does the crate being dirty matter? None of the food is touching it even if you go bagless.

Also, not seen any box areas in supermarkets for a long time. They probably take up valuable retail space.

Ferrier -- if you prepare, say, spag bol with a tin of tomatos do you wash your hands between opening the tin and washing the veg? Cos I have to admit, I don't.

Nope but then I don't usually wash veg if it's being cooked.

ferrier Not everything I buy will be in some sort of packaging. I don’t like the idea of feeding my kids a yoghurt and them touching the pot that has been sat in mould. It’s ok I guess if your kids are healthy but one of mine is sadly not. I did explain that in my post though, the one you mustn’t have read.

I use the Trolley Bags, they are really great

I have several of the ones hanging by the till, one has herbs and other a quilt effect and a star wars one. How does pp suggest we carry the boxes him? We don't drive and our arms would ache

One of my aunts used the same shopping bag for 48 years and refused single-use plastic vehemently. She was an early eco-warrior I think

Take your own bags ? Simples 👍

I use the one furthest left in the picture. Is insulated to keep stuff cool and can be filled to the top before being zipped up. Holds a lot and lasts a long time www.google.com/search?q=m%26s+shopping+bags&client=safari&tbm=isch&tbs=rimg:CWqROF3IaouDIkCYtXtDKZg_1XzFOAtdu6EKPR7xTO-E9ckRpzuAnYwsze_1044Q_1WFGMIsgm5zH1UqQV9g8zbtq6fc7JL-lUuGAWOKhIJmLV7QymYP18RahO8lFv_1SVQqEgkxTgLXbuhCjxGF9JHePMyuoyoSCUe8UzvhPXJEERb-88lDPySSKhIJac7gJ2MLM3sR-S62OSUHnKcqEgn9OOEP1hRjCBFp_1sEy-c9jGyoSCbIJucx9VKkFEVwbXH3SCxlzKhIJfYPM27aun3MRfeK8mtYx4jsqEgmyS_1pVLhgFjhE2ST1ZgTSeiQ%3D%3D&tbo=u&ved=2ahUKEwjSwMPx-bLbAhXpLMAKHamkCHgQuIIBegQIARAi#imgrc=apE4Xchqi4MQJM:
I note they have now got an antimicrobial bag now! Loved the car diagram and have memories of strapping pram into front seat.

I have three sizes of IKEA blue bag.

The massive one, used predominantly for laundry, I have tons of these

The medium sized one, same sort of shape as the massive one but about a third? Of the size.

And the small one which is perfectly sized for 4 4 pint milk bottles standing up.

I don't have the zippy up back pack rectangular one.

I have shed loads of reusable bags, from the fold up thin material to the big sports direct ones, which realistically are too big for anything but loads of light stuff.

Tesco the company that paid rural town councillors off to take over towns and put local businesses under... yes I can believe they would do this it’s all just for corporate greed they couldn’t care less about the environment

I don’t think the 10p bags are actually bags for life any more just slightly stronger versions of 5p bags.

I try to always have a couple of the foldaway bags in the car for surprise trips and when I plan to shop I obviously take the big reusable ones but I’m not going to lie the 10p plastic ones are basically my “oh crap I haven’t got any bags” bags and then get reused as a bin bag.

My mother in law packed a bag the other day with a few bits for us to take home....it was a blockbuster bag it even said on it tapes (not even DVDs) so god knows how long shes been using it!!!
Now thats a bag for life