People still buying bags when shopping

[Auburngal]

It's 8.5 years since the bag charges were introduced in England (Oct 4 2015) and longer for other parts of the UK. My friend's DS was born on that day and she has pointed out he was born on the same day bag charges were introduced in England and people are shocked.

Why do people still not come shopping without bags? See the same faces most days at work buying bags. "Left the bags in the car" - pack at the car then!

If people buy on average 10 bags at 30p each per week at supermarkets, shops like B&M, Poundland - that's £156 a year. People don't look at the price as a whole they think "its only 30p".

Then see people down my road using brand new carrier bags for rubbish. Bin bags are cheaper (per unit), bigger and able to tie them up properly.

Then my work is opposite a few other shops - see customers buy two items and buy a bag from us when they have room in another shop's bag they just purchased from. What's that about?

The number of times I have bought bags is in single figures. For example - buying a coat - none of the bags I had were big enough. Brought 2 bags with me and one broke - it wasn't the retailer's bag in question. So couldn't get the replacement free.

Please stop buying bags. Fold one up inside your handbag. I am ok with those who bought more than they intend and don't have room in their own bags they have brought with them.

Taking your own bags is a simple way to help with CoL.

@Mademetoxic do YOU care about the environment? How much?

I spend more than £2 a week on bags when I'm in the UK. If that means I have more money than sense then the UK really is fucked 🤣 who wouldn't spend a couple of quid a week on convenience and basic hygiene. The bags are cruddy biodegradable ones anyway so are not exactly hardy, they turn to dust after a few months.

@Mademetoxic you sound very unhappy. Before taking on the world, maybe try and find some aspects of life that give you joy. Let someone else eat themselves up over nothing.

Right? And? All four of those points are valid.

YANBU Percy Pigs are life. 🥰

I'm sure people can afford a few bags and a pig bag. If not then obviously they are in grave trouble and need the money for food. That would be heartbreaking.

but if you're in your car already just keep bags in the boot all the time? That way you don't have to 'think' about it. Unpack shopping, stick the bags by the front door and back in the boot the next time you go to the car. involves no extra work, could save you £50-100 quid at least every year and saves 100s of plastic bags going to landfill/dumped and killing animals as above.

What are people even doing with all the spare bags?

-Use them as bin liners
-If you're heading out for the day and want to take any foodstuffs, drinks etc from home.
-If you have visitors and wish to give them food, wine or gifts to take home.
-I've recieved Vinted orders from people in store bags turned inside out (thus being sustainable in two ways!).

Plus a myriad other uses. If I didn't have these, I would just have to buy a roll of plastic bags from the supermarket. Now that WOULD be a waste of money and resources!

The experiment has been run and the results are clear: it doesn't stop people from buying bags.

I'm guilty of it and I don't care. The bags are paper. We put our recycling in them and then put them in the recycling bin.

At the end of the day people should care more about the environment. It's so upsetting to hear people's opinions.

I care about the marine life. Hence not buying plastic bags. It makes a difference.

Are there actually people in the world who have no idea how to re-use a carrier bag? I try and keep them by for shopping but I mostly line the bedroom bins with them (unsure why OP thinks this is wasteful when it means I’m not buying other plastic bags, but logic can’t prevail with everyone I guess)

If you care about the environment why do you still use planes?

@Mademetoxic some of the stronger bags are already £1.50 or more.
Do I still sometimes buy one? Yes - usually when the paper bags provided by Primark, Waterstones and others are falling apart before I have even left the shopping centre and walking towards the bus stop.

How do you know i do?

What have planes got to do with this thread, when it's specifically about plastic bags.

If you want to whinge about planes start your own thread.

Because you’ve posted about your abroad holidays on other threads.

Sorry, did you think planes have ‘nothing to do’ with damaging the environment?

I just don’t like a hypocrite that’s all. Attacking people (who aren’t actually disagreeing with you!) because they carry things in their pockets not in bags, apparently this is damaging the environment (lol!!) yet you holiday on planes.

Yep.

Not everyone is just tossing them in the bin once they’ve finished the first use of them. I’ve also received Vinted orders in plastic bags and re-use those bags for different things.

Start your own thread.
Whinge about planes on another thread.

This is about plastic bags.

Fun fact: we are allowed to talk about other things than what’s on the subject of the thread.

But I am thoroughly entertained that after watching you have an angry and pious attitude to everyone for the whole thread, coming at people who don’t deserve to be attacked, only to COMPLETELY evade the subject when you’re caught out being a massive hypocrite. It’s wonderful when that happens.

I mean don’t you caaaaaaaare about the environment @Mademetoxic ?! How could you have such hurtful horrible opinions <cries into pillow>

I can assure you i have not posted on about holidays.

How are you getting hurt about plastic bags. Get a life !

You have. Do you want me to show you?

LOL at ME getting upset about plastic bags! I’m not the one waaaaah-ing because not everyone carries a tote in their pocket at all times.

I'm pretty well-behaved on this front. I can't help noticing that, since shops stopped giving them away, I've been spending a lot more on rolls of single-use plastic bags for waste disposal. Never used to buy them; I just used carrier bags!

I shove all my plastic bags in a cupboard and reuse

if the amount builds up I donate them to charity where they get to give them out for free because they have already been paid for

Makes me happy
What makes you happy

Until I put my glasses on I read the above as I just shove all my plastic bags up my arse which, when you think about it, would have been an ideal end to a thread where the option is to mock when it's so judgey and hand wringy 🤣

Pah. I steal them when using the tesco self service checkouts. Doesn't everyone?