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JohnRoberts

JohnRoberts

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Another state has outlawed plastic shopping bags... (NY)...

I read they are even discouraging paper bags with a deposit charge. (I wonder if you can return the used paper bags for your deposit fee back?  ::) )

Studies have determined that reusable cloth shopping bags have been linked to becoming contaminated and spreading bacteria to new purchased goods.

JR
 
they tried that here. it backfired. Now they charge you to do any bag paper or plastic. I am not sure what brainiac decided this but truth be told most people who get these bags tend to reuse them before tossing them so I am not sure what the issue is. I think it is on par with the folks who band plastic straws only to  redesign a replacement which uses more plastic. 
 
Speedskater said:
We re-purpose every plastic bag that makes it home intact.
Click to expand...
I repurpose them maybe one more time, not over and over like reusable shopping bags. BTW who didn't save old paper shopping bags? I remember as kid making book covers for school books from them.

One use for plastic shopping bags is when I am working out in my muddy yard and need to do something inside my clean (cough) house. Rather than take off my shoes for less than a minute task, I put plastic shopping bags over my muddy shoes... works like a charm.  8)

JR
 
For years plastic bags were free in all shops in the UK. A couple of years ago the government brought in a law that all plastic bags would be charged. Since then most people bring their own bags and only buy one when they forget. Some shops have even replaced the plastic bags used for fruit/veg with paper versions. The number of plastic bags used has plummeted so it seems to be working OK here.

When I was a kid, nobody used plastic bags. Most people brought their own bags. The only things the shopkeeper wrapped were things like fruit and fresh meat.

Cheers

Ian
 
the British government said:
5. Benefits: why there’s a charge
The scheme aims to reduce the use of single-use plastic carrier bags, and the litter associated with them, by encouraging people to re-use bags.

In 2014 over 7.6 billion single-use plastic bags were given to customers by major supermarkets in England. That’s something like 140 bags per person, the equivalent of about 61,000 tonnes in total.

They take longer than other bags to degrade in the environment, can damage wildlife, and are extremely visible when littered in our towns, parks and the countryside.

Despite research showing that the average household already had 40 plastic bags around the home, the number of plastic bags taken from supermarkets increased for the fifth year running in 2014.

Similar 5p charges are also in place across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Since we introduced the scheme, the number of bags used has gone down by more than 80 percent in England.

We estimate that over the next 10 years the benefits of the scheme will include:

- an expected overall benefit of over £780 million to the UK economy
- up to £730 million raised for good causes
- £60 million savings in litter clean-up costs
- carbon savings of £13 million
Click to expand...

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-why-were-introducing-the-charge

Seems like a good, and successful, initiative to me.

 
rob_gould said:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/single-use-plastic-carrier-bags-why-were-introducing-the-charge

Seems like a good, and successful, initiative to me.
Click to expand...

And in addition, most shops have donated the 5p charge to local charities so most people do not mind paying for bags when they forget. Shops also sell 'bags for life' at checkouts. These are usually made from recycled or natural materials and if the bag ever fails you can swap it for a new one for free.

There are some exemptions - small corner shops for example and you can always request a plastic bag to wrap uncooked meat and fish.

But, you are right,  all in all it works really well. It is not really an issue any more in the UK.

Cheers

ian
 
> BTW who didn't save old paper shopping bags?

Those were the trash bags. We didn't have GladBag; heck, we didn't bother with a trash bin. Paper bags stand in the corner until full, and I'd be told to carry them to the curb-can in the garage.

Paper bags were such a key to household operation that when my dad made a can-cabinet, the bottom was a bin for paper bags. As you say, a few got side-tracked for other wrapping. But most were trash-bags.
 
PRR said:
> BTW who didn't save old paper shopping bags?

Those were the trash bags. We didn't have GladBag; heck, we didn't bother with a trash bin. Paper bags stand in the corner until full, and I'd be told to carry them to the curb-can in the garage.

Paper bags were such a key to household operation that when my dad made a can-cabinet, the bottom was a bin for paper bags. As you say, a few got side-tracked for other wrapping. But most were trash-bags.
Click to expand...
and if the garbage had wet stuff in it the bags would break making a huge mess...

JR
 
Speedskater said:
We re-purpose every plastic bag that makes it home intact.
Click to expand...

All plastic shopping bags here got reused as trash bags or dog poop bags. No more.
 
> if the garbage had wet stuff in it the bags would break making a huge mess...

That's what the newspapers were for. The daily Bulletin was a pound of pulp. The Sunday Bulletin was a LUMP of paper. We usually took the Inky and the County Times as well.

We take a daily metro paper here but it is about as thick as Parade magazine used to be. Today's Parade is slimmer than the supermarket flyer. Even so it has become a problem because you can't GIVE away clean paper any more. Rather than pay to truck it out of sight, we are back to burning. Like it was 1959 all over again.
 
Never did much understand PFA's use in trash or grocery bags. Brown Paper bags were much more versatile a tool in the household.
Our local butcher has bio-degradable "plastic" bags that are welcome on the farm. We may even use them at Farmers Market now for hot sauce customers, otherwise it is literally brown sacked lunch sandwich bags.
 

 

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