To think paying for a paper bag is silly?

[Sozzels]

I noticed in one retailer today different sized paper bags are different charges. 10p, 12p and 15p. Why? It’s paper and recyclable, all those bags are good for is one use and then they rip. I understand charging for plastic as it doesn’t recycle and probably costs more to make but where is the logic in charging for paper bags.

AIBU?

Just because paper degrades, doesn't mean its production doesn't have an effect on the environment and there will be costs involved. Google ' lifecycle assessments '.

The cost is to discourage you from buying as they’re only good for one use.

They can definitely be used more than once

They charge for them because they can. And that's only because of the levy on plastic bags that was introduced. Which hasn't worked at all, just given the supermarkets another healthy revenue stream. There's way more plastic going into modern reusable carrier bags compared to old fashioned plastic bags, and most of them still end up getting chucked away.

Plastic can be recycled.

When the plastic bags were free they were disposed of casually. There was no incentive to reuse.

Paper bags still use energy and material to produce. Paying for them incentivises reusing them. Plus only the people that need them pay for them rather than their costs bring spread across all shoppers.

Win. Win.

Why don’t all supermarkets offer paper bags? Or the degradable ones you get at coop? Why are plastic ones even still a thing?

Incorrect as supermarkets hardly hand out any plastic bags now. If someone wants one they have to go and dig one out

Before the bag charge you'd use 20 bags for each weekly shop and rarely reuse any of them

Because they are not free to the store?

Paper bags cost more to make and transport, don't last as long and aren't as strong. Supermarkets need to provide a bag that's suitable to carry shopping home in

Presumably the paper bags are bought in by the shop and the larger ones cost more. Bags aren't automatically free, even before the charge they would get factored into prices along with all the other overheads.

40p in m&s!!!!

Paper bags are useless if it is raining outside!

I imagine it's to encourage you to bring your own bags. And that works.

Those green supposedly compostable bags from the coop bloody don't compost! I've had one in my hot composter for 2 years now and it's still fully intact! Yes, definitely one that says compostable on it. I checked first time I saw it was still there!

There's a factory somewhere that makes the bags and I doubt all the staff there are working for free 😂
The retailer has to purchase the bags and pay for their name to be printed on them.
They could either -
Put prices on all stock up to cover the costs
or
Charge 30p or whatever to cover the costs.
Take your own bag from home if you don't want to pay.

I bought two birthday cards in Waterstones the other day. They don’t come in a plastic sheaf now, and I had to pay 25p for a paper bag to put them in because I didn’t want them getting squashed and damaged in my handbag. The cards plus bag cost the guts of £6. Insane.

Shops originally switched to plastic bags (and there was a general introduction of black bin bags etc) in the 70s as a way to use less paper to "save the rainforests"

There is always a cost.

x 1000

They charge you for bags because they have to buy the bags. They don't get them for free.

Don’t forget that recycling uses more energy than not using the bag in the first place. The mantra is

reduce
reuse
recycle

for a good reason. The greenest item is one which is never manufactured in the first place. Always carry reusable bags you can use hundreds of times, and nothing has to be manufactured at all until they need replacing. Recycling is only slightly better for the environment than single use.

40p in Morrisons!

ha!

I’ve got one here from marks and spencer that I’ve used several times and will use again. It’s strong as fuck.

Apparently paper bags take six times more energy to produce than a plastic bag.

also - copied and pasted-

Which is greener? It’s a mixed bag.Paper bags are made from trees, a renewable source, but are paper bags the best option? They tear easily, limiting their reuse, and their production creates 70% more air pollution than plastic bag production.
Another important factor to consider is that plastic bags consume less than 6% of the water needed to make paper bags. It takes 1,004 gallons of water to produce 1,000 paper bags, and 58 gallons of water to produce 1,500 plastic bags.

https://www.packaging-gateway.com/features/sustainable-showdown-plastic-vs-paper-bags/?cf-view

so it’s definitely not that paper bags are a ‘green’ option. The use of them still needs to be actively discouraged by charging for them.

oh that’s good to know! Cheeky of them – although that’s not really the word is it. Awful of them