... to think that charging 30p for a carrier bag is taking the piss and has naff all to do with Attenborough and his polar bears?

[BerwickLad]

Seriously, 30p in Morrisons now. Even a paper bag is 25p. And Sainsbury's are charging 30p for little bags to put your loose fruit and vegetables in. This has gone way beyond trying to get people to cut down on plastic. What is wrong with just recycling the damn things anyway if you don't want them choking sea-lions etc? Rather fleecing customers?

@BerwickLad sure, everyone else there using reusable bags had a car. Next time go home first for your reusable bag? OR just generally stop seeing plastic as such a cheap commodity that you’re horrified at paying 30p for something that will still be on earth 200 years later.

Most shops donate the cost of the carrier bags to charity. So it's not a money making scheme

Having run a shop for 30 years, not on the scale of JS obvs, a good thick carrier bag costs a lot more than 30p. 50p for s decent size one, if we bought 5 years stock, and over £1 for our largest size one.

Buy a packet of value sandwich bags and use a few of them to put to put your loose fruit/veg in is my advice. (C) Viz Top Tips 👌

Am I the only person who just chucks it all in loose and it's not a problem?

I do this too. Why do you need a little bag OP, just chuck them in loose. I can't think of many fruit or veg that isn't already prepackaged that needs to be in a bag.

I was four miles away from home @Pumperthepumper which would have been a 1.25 hour walk each way but thanks for the advice anyway. The people with cars don't need bags of any description, is my point and they sure as shit fuck the planet over more than me needing something to carry my shopping home in. If we're going to get environmentally finger pointy, which we seem to be.

I think 30p is ridiculous but I'm glad they're charging more for plastic than paper. That irked me far more

And seriously, what is the justification for charging 25p for a paper bag? There's no dolphins dying from paper bag choking.

Having not been to Sainsburys for a few weeks I had no idea about this, please could someone explain about the little bags?

The issue with paper bags is that it's really hard to reuse them. How about just 50p for some canvas ones or something that can actually be reused, and aren't plastic. Not sure on affordability, but creeping the prices up for the same product isn't really making much of a difference; people will still pay if they forget their bag.

Fair enough to buy a shopping bag if you don't have one. I walk to the supermarket and have bought one on occasion when I have forgotten but don't bother with the fruit and veg ones. Just put them straight in the bigger bag.

Boots also makes you pay for a paper bag. It’s a total swizz.

The morrisons paper bags are reusable and sturdy

@DontCallMeShitley you are still perfectly able to buy pre-bagged salad, grapes in plastic punnets, avocados in plastic trays wrapped in cling film, organic bananas in plastic bags etc in Sainsbury's. In fact for most of these items this is the only way to buy them. However if you want to buy loose fruit and vegetables and put them into separate bags, each bag now costs you 30p. You can of course reuse them but equally of course you'll have to clean them yourself and cart them around with you every day on the off chance that you want to buy, say, a couple of apples and would like something to put them into.

I don't make the rules!

Hahaha, at least Morrisons have stopped shrink-wrapping each individual pepper...

I noticed Boots charged for a paper bag too, I’m convinced it’s some money making racket putting the prices up. Customers think ahhh it’s just 5p/10p/25p and with the best of intentions think they’ll remember next time, I’d love to know where all the money goes to for paper bags and ones above 5p.

A 5p difference between paper n plastic is madness on its own. For 5p you’re likely to just get the plastic one that’ll last if you remember it next time. 5p n 30p would atleast encourage people who hadn’t brought a bag over to paper.
My reusables live in the pram, means I’d need to forget the baby to forget the bags (no car either) but the number of shop assistants who still give me weird looks if I’ve run out of bag room but I’m happy to just chuck it in the basket underneath.. it doesn’t bite.. and as most shits plastic wrapped it’s not going to get the food dirty.

Having not been to Sainsburys for a few weeks I had no idea about this, please could someone explain about the little bags?

They have done away with the small plastic bags in he pick your wn in the fruit and veg section and replaced them with mesh bags you can buy for 30p.

Because recycling is shit.
It takes energy and miles and water and it is not the answer. It is the last resource and people need to stop thinking oh! It is ok, I will recycle it.
We need to NOT produce it in the first place.
So you carry your own bag because you don’t want to spend money on another.

@BerwickLad so your personal circumstance means you either 1) remember your reusable bags or 2) pay 30p for something that will still be around hundreds of years after you will. Seems a pretty good deal to me.

Also, the ‘environmentally finger pointing’ came from you suggesting the people driving were at fault. You can’t control what they do, you just do your best. Otherwise nobody would ever recycle, because not everyone does so what’s the point?

@dementedpixie but they're paper. We were told that the reason for charging for bags is to discourage plastic use. How does charging for paper fit with that?

You can of course reuse them but equally of course you'll have to clean them yourself and cart them around with you every day on the off chance that you want to buy, say, a couple of apples and would like something to put them into.

I really don't see the issue. We've had the carrier bag charge in Scotland for 5 years and it's no effort for me to take my own bags whenever I go out, including my fruit and veg bags when I do a food shop, it's just second nature to me. You get bags that fold up tiny to fit in your handbag.

@Pumperthepumper yes I did bring up driving, in response to being told I'm responsible for the climate emergency.

Bring your own bags
Pick your own fruit n veg
Reuse them till they snap
Recycle them.

Dead easy. I think that we should be charging at least £1 per bag. Or pointing people towards the empty cardboard boxes.

Berwick

The paper bags still need producing. They are unnecessary if people just remember to bring their own. There is an environmental cost to making them. That’s not difficult to understand.