BAN SHOPPING BAGS SAYS EU

[Synicus Maximus]

Source: daily Express

THE EU was under fire last night for seeking a ban on plastic shopping bags to fight pollution.

Shops in Britain could be outlawed from stocking them, or alternatively there might be a new tax to dramatically reduce their use.

But angry retailers say any move would hit sales, while doing nothing to save the environment.

Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/247722Ban-shopping-bags-says-EU#ixzz1MwQUnWAD


Read more: http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/247722

---

Sounds like a good idea

[marmar]

1. I was in the checkout line in the grocery section of a department store in Hamburg......

...... and I was the ONLY customer who required a bag. Everyone else had a canvass shopping bag already. I felt very .... American.

[jwirr]

14. If more people would start carrying a nice canvas bag to shop I think

this change would catch on. The problem is that many people think it is a silly idea because it is not seen very often. I have tried to talk my girls into it and they explain that no one does that. And I will admit that I have not seen many people doing it.

This is a change we can do ourselves. Next time I go in I am going to take my two clothe bags.

[RebelOne]

20. But what if you have more groceries than would

fit in one nice canvas bag? When I shop for groceries I come away with at least 6 or more bags more than would fit into one canvas bag.

[marmar]

21. I'm sure they come in a variety of sizes, n'est-ce pas? Or carry more than one.

nt

[KoKo]

25. That's the problem. I use my own canvas bag...but for Big Shopping it's a problem.

I tend to prefer the smaller plastic for large purchases because the paper is even too heavy because they over pack them..plus they split open. Problem is they often overpack the plastic so they "double bag" it.

It's a hard choice...but it's still good to use the canvas if you are just in for a few things, which single folks and two or three family members can deal with.

[robinlynne]

44. If you look at what is happening in the ocean, it becomes an easy choice.

Recently a whale starved to death because it ate so much plastic. It does not biodegrade, os it is left here on earth for well over a thousand years. It breaks down into little pieces, which are then eaten by animals. they think ti si food because it looks like food. the animals die with bellies full of plastic. It is happening all voe r the world. You need to have 6 bags. you buy them once and they last forever. I bought a pretty set I like, so I would use them. They live in my car. then it is just a matter of turning it into a habit. I store all the bags in one bag, so they're always there and easy to grab. After a while it becomes a habit like brushing your teeth. you'll find you already have old purses and things you can use. Or even just reuse the paper ones from the grocery store.

banning them is an obvious yes. there are now alternatives to plastic, made with other fibers which will biodegrade (corn fibers I think) . they cost more than cheap plastic bags. if you want the luxury of a new bag every time you shop, pay the price. but anything used just a few times should have to be biodegradable.

[jwirr]

28. I always have more than one bag. I take more than one bag inside

the biggest bag. Also most of us take the cart to our car so more there could be more bags. If you ride the bus clothe bags nay actually be more secure. They do not tear so easy.

[chalky]

33. I've run into that same problem. Maybe we should try the "Costco solution"

Request cardboard boxes when we reach the checkout line. Or bring our own boxes, stow them in the cart and fill them as we shop.

[boppers]

40. How can you eat 6 bags of groceries every night?

I say that slightly tongue in cheek, but another European tradition is to only buy as much as you'll need for a day or two, to cut down on spoilage and to get the freshest stuff (that isn't packed with preservatives). Thus, many people shop almost daily, and only take home as much as they can carry.... to match that other European thing, where you couldn't buy 6 bags, because that's too hard to walk home with or take on the train.

[muriel_volestrangler]

41. I use a large backpack (which I already had)

which is far better for carrying loads over long distances anyway. But you can also own more than canvas bag.

If you're just carrying the bags to the car in the car park, another alternative is a cardboard box of a suitable size to fit inside a shopping cart. You put it in the cart before you start shopping, put the goods inside it, put them through the checkout, and reload the box there. Then you can take it out in one go, put it in your car, and take all the shopping out in one when you're back at home. Supplement with a canvas bag or two for bigger loads.

Some supermarkets have boxes of a suitable size available - what they receive the goods in. If not, ask them to make them available - they're probably throwing them out, and might be glad if customers took a few off their hands.

[Le Taz Hot]

45. My canvass bags hold probably

twice as much as the plastic bags. At least that's been my experience.

[KoKo]

50. They can do that but the weight often becomes hard for some people with back

problems or the elderly to be able to handle. The smaller plastic helps those folks. But, the point is that if a lot more people use the bags (who have no problems) then it still cuts down the amount of plactic that gets floated around in our environment. The elderly and those with other disabilities are not the hugest slice of our population and so getting young folks and hardy folks using the canvas is what we would hope for.

[KoKo]

60. ....+2

[fasttense]

55. Have you seen some of those canvas bags? They are huge.

You can fit a lot more into them than into those flimsy plastic things. AND they rarely break.

[mitchtv]

57. I have 6 or 8 in my trunk

I shop at various stores and use most. a lot use them around here, but certainly not most

[KoKo]

61. Yes...that's great for YOU..but what about Disabled or Elderly who

cant heft those "full Canvas bags" because of their time and space?

Did you think of them? We should all "Young and Able" use these bags...but we shouldn't mandate them for those who can't deal with the WEIGHT. So for shoppers who are elderly or disabled ..if they can use them for some items they can shop for ...It's GOOD THING!

But, to trash or require MANDATORY CANVAS BAGS..for ALL...this is not good. We need to look at the segments of our society who can use the bags for "small items...minimal shopping"...but NOT TRASH those who have to do "MEGA SHOPPING" only once every two weeks or so...who need to use "plastic or paper."

[mitchtv]

63. I am 67 and pretty much disabled

I use a cart to the car trunk, I don;t let them load too heavy either. you can always reuse plastic bags too, double them up or put a paper bag inside one.

[Tesha]

69. So ask the packer to pack the re-usable bags only half full.

The handles on the reusable bags are much more
convenient than the flap-handles of plastic bags.

Tesha

[surrealAmerican]

70. Part of the beauty of bringing your own bags ...

... is being able to bring the ones best suited to you. If you can't carry a huge, loaded canvas bag, you bring a few smaller nylon bags instead.

[snooper2]

71. If you are that disabled or elderly then you should qualify for one of these

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SdHL6QEmPKM/SWbL9LBGD6I/AAAAAAAAIms/CmV9XCtUVrg/s400/Power+Wheelchair.jpg

Then I can start up my business making lightweight trailers
It's a niche market that's missing :P

[hedgehog]

72. Seriously - some sort of trailer would proabably be very useful!

Or more probably - a cart that fits on front.

[burrowowl]

58. I have several canvas bags

[LanternWaste]

73. It makes one wonder how shoppers managed prior to the advent of plastic bags...

It makes one wonder how shoppers managed prior to the advent of plastic bags. One imagines they made do in one way or another without too great a risk to that contemporary sacred cow of personal convenience we currently appear to hold with such great esteem.

[Nihil]

74. Oh No! You're *not* asking people to put up with a little *inconvenience* are you?

You just don't understand the attachment that the
various "F*ck the planet - I want my plastic bags!"
people have to their unnecessary crap ...
:P

[Retrograde]

34. I had the opposite experience in Italy

we brought our cloth bag to the central market in Florence, but every vendor put our purchases in a plastic bag with their logo on it. This was 2 years ago.

[kentauros]

36. Here ya go!

:)

ECOBAGS® Pastel Cotton String Shopping Bag Set with Hemp StuffSack
Set of 5 Cotton String Shopping Bags and a Hemp Stuff Sack for neat, compact storage and transportation.

Baggu Reusable Shopping Bag Set of 5, Blues
The drawstring sack comes with five BAGGUs, enough to carry a full cart of groceries. Each bag holds up to 25 pounds, and the sack has plenty of spare room for your keys, wallet or more bags! Perfect for big shopping trips to the mall or bulk retailer.

reuseit Workhorse Original, Bluesign Fabric
We took the best-selling original ultra-compact reusable shopping bag and improved it! This version is made of rip-stop nylon that's Bluesign-certified, which means a low environmental impact during manufacturing - making this a truly sustainable bag. Bag folds into a tiny attached pouch and opens to a full-size carrier that can hold over 25 lbs.

~~~

I've bought other bags from reusit.com and am very happy with the bags. People have even asked me where I got them. Mine aren't the ones above, but two recycled PET-plastic rectangular bags and several canvas bags (two are perfect for putting handles, so to speak, on bags of kitty litter.)

[Gormy Cuss]

42. Until recently here in the US, it was difficult to escape without a store bag

because it was part of the loss prevention strategy. I've had and used canvas bags for decades. I'd try to decline the bag but in many stores was told it was policy. Even when I was successful in declining the plastic bag, the clerks wouldn't put groceries or goods in my bag -- again, it was against store policy. In the past five years there's been a seismic shift in attitude. I can't remember the last time a bag was foisted on me in the name of store policy.

[Enrique]

2. omg teh European dystopia is complete

it started with national health care and now no shopping bags.

[ZombieHorde]

3. This does sound like a good idea. nt

[RandySF]

4. We did that here in SF

Now I see more littering the street than ever.

[CreekDog]

7. were you looking at our waterways before?

and our oceans?

were you aware of the plastic dominated litter that's found there?

[polly7]

5. I think it's a great idea. So many articles have come out showing

the damage to sea creatures, islands of plastic floating in the ocean, plastic clogging up landfills forever ... how can they say banning them wouldn't help? I take re-usable mesh bags my grocer gave out a few years ago to shop, she is trying to do away with plastic bags completely on her own.

[IcyPeas]

6. here's my question...

I have been using my own shopping bags for quite some time now.

I used to use the plastic bags as my trash bags.... so now I must buy plastic garbage bags.... hmmm? so personally, I feel like I've traded one plastic bag (a free one) for another (which I have to buy). it's a dilemma.

[Sirveri]

9. This. I also use my grocery bags as trash bags.

It's cheaper by far. Sometimes we'll bring a fabric bag if we're getting full of the plastic ones though.

[RebelOne]

23. Same here. Mostly I use those plastic bags to wrap my dogs'

soiled pee pads in. The bags disguise the smell. I have three little dogs that use pee pads and three little dogs generate a lot of pee.

[burrowowl]

59. Used to use newspapers to wrap the trash

[CreekDog]

10. there are compostable plastic bags available

i buy those.

these bags, more than the other "trash" bags are a problem in the environment and the problem (no matter how useful the product is to you) must be dealt with because it is really causing problems.

and nevermind that these plastic bags are petroleum based products.

[IcyPeas]

30. good idea - I will look for these.

[bread_and_roses]

12. When I was growing up we wrapped our garbage in newspapers -

that's how it went into the can, and it was those cans the sanitation workers emptied into the trucks. Plastic is both so valuable and so horrifically damaging to the environment that I increasingly believe that it's use should be virtually if not completely prohibited in goods manufactured for household use. But then, that's part of understanding that we simply cannot live the way we do now and save the earth. Which, being also a realist, I do not expect to happen. So goodbye, beautiful, habitable earth.

[Gormy Cuss]

43. When I was growing up we had a garbage pail and trash cans.

Garbage (food waste) went in the pail, rubbish went in the trash cans.

Funny thing is now my local waste management picks up food scraps in a separate pail or integrated into the yard waste bin. We have a small bin for trash and a larger one for recyclables too.

[robinlynne]

46. Laws would fix that. there are alternatives to plastic. For example we buy biodegradable

dog poop bags which look like plastic. The same would happen with garbage bags if the public demanded it. Alternatives would be made, and as their use becomes widespread, the price goes down.

interestingly enough, in places where they make laws against things like plastic bags, the people adapt quickly and use other ways. In Switzerland there are 2 choices for your garbage. You can pay a high premium for a government issued trash bag, which is the only type of bag the waste removal will remove. Or you can take all of your items to a recycling center and sort them into the different categories and recycle things. the choice is yours. Pay a premium or recycle for free. It works. these things become habits. Once you make the habit, you wont ever want to go back. After we got recycling bins, I can't imagine throwing things into the trash. At least 3/4 of the things we throw away are recyclable.

[makhno]

52. Switzerland, eh?

As far as I can tell, there are 15, 30 and 60L generic plastic trash bags one can buy or simply shop at Coop where free plastic bags are still available and use those.

No premiums involved unless you shop at Migros and pay whatever those douches charge you for a plastic bag nowadays.

Dog poop bags are good old fashioned oil-based plastic as well, so I'm not quite sure where your "data" about Switzerland comes from.

[athena]

68. Agreed.

I believe you have to put your trash on the curb in proper garbage bags (rather than any old little plastic bag you can find), but that's as far as it goes.

I think that many U.S. states are way ahead of Switzerland on recycling. For one thing, the Swiss have no curb-side recycling for non-paper recyclables (at least not in Geneva). Unlike garbage, which you can leave on the curb, you have to take your other recyclables to the nearest recycling bin, which is a bit of a hassle and probably discourages many people from recycling as much as they could. On top of all that, they only recycle a very specific type of plastic: #1 (PET) containers that contained food. You can recycle #2 (HDPE) containers that contained milk at stores like the Coop. But there is no way to recycle #1 (PET) containers that contained, says, shampoo, or #2 (HDPE) containers that contained anything other than milk.

As far as bringing one's own bag, I'm usually the only one in the checkout line with my own bags. Most people either buy paper bags from the store, or they accept free plastic bags (depending on the store).

[Atypical Liberal]

8. Good idea. Ban bottled water, too. n/t

[kath]

17. Absolutely.

It's mind-boggling to me that Murkans have been bamboozled into paying for something that they can get for free from the tap.
Teh Stoopid...

[RZM]

32. Last time I was in Western Europe was about 10 years ago

But in the small town I stayed in, everybody drank only bottled water. They bought it in bulk, too.

[siligut]

11. So far, in Seattle, if you bring in your own bag you get a 3¢ credit

Or you can just donate it to charity.

[kath]

18. Target gives a 5 cent credit off your bill for each reuseable bag you use.

[Le Taz Hot]

47. WinCo (CA) gives 6 cents credit.

plus their canvass bags are only 88 cents each. I've had some of my bags for something like 5 years so they've paid for themselves several times over. I wash/sterilize them along with the towels.

[and-justice-for-all]

13. The US Government does not have the nerve to tell corporations

how to run their businesses, even banning shopping bags here would take decades. Nevertheless, it is a great idea.

[lbrtbell]

15. Yeah, that would be smart...not.

Most people use those bags as garbage pail liners, so the bags are used twice. Without them, these same people would have to buy plastic bags, so the bags are being manufactured, either way. A ban like this would do NOTHING to prevent pollution, because people are going to use plastic bags, one way or the other.

Even stores like Wal-Mart are happy to accept these bags for recycling, and heaven knows there are enough Wal-Marts around to make these recycling bins readily available.

And there's an increasing trend of people making things out of these bags, like rugs, etc., which last for years without ever touching a landfill.

So why the push to ban the bags? The companies who make the bags want to make more money off them by gouging consumers with higher prices, so they convince well-meaning environmentalists to get the cheaply-available bags banned.

Don't fall for the hype--it's just another instance of corporations wanting to increase their bottom line.

[HeiressofBickworth]

27. Ah HA -- just as I suspected..

You just may be on to something here. In my neck of the woods, the garbage hauler REQUIRES used kitty litter to be in plastic bags -- and double bagged. I have been using the free grocery bags. Glad to see this proposal is out of the UK. If plastic grocery bags are banned here, I would not only have to buy bags for the kitty litter, but I would have to buy double the amount. Let's see, 4 litter boxes, 4 cats, aww.. you do the math. So who profits from this scheme?

[Travelman]

16. Last time I was in the UK

Which was several years ago, every store I encountered required that I buy bags if I didn't have my own. Of course, going there as a tourist, I didn't bring any canvas bags with me, as I had not set out originally to be going to the grocery store, but wound up doing so several times while I was there. I bought a few of the fairly sturdy 10p bags that had nice reinforced handles and held lots of stuff and I used them several times.

Seems to me that this is something that's already taking care of itself. I see no need to just impose a ban that will serve little purpose more than to inconvenience people.

[iemitsu]

19. metro-market gives 10 cents off for each bag.

i have been using the same grocery bags for several years. they are easy to wash and i just keep them in the back seat of the car.
and i no longer have to give all the old plastic and paper bags to thrift stores (they might miss them but i don't miss having to collect the bags).

[buddysmellgood]

22. Why not require them to be biodegradable?

[Dappleganger]

24. My main purse is also a lightweight backpack.

My everyday carry has a large compartment which easily carries purchased items, or can carry empty cloth bags.

[kentauros]

37. I have something like that, all hemp,

but it wasn't big enough for all my electronic gear and books I tend to carry if I think I'll be at a quiet cafe and writing ;)

Still, they are great designs and you can get them in sustainable materials, too :)

[slay]

26. I'm all for not using plastic bags

i don't know i would go so far as a ban - but i'd certainly think about it.

[poverlay]

29. I was talking to someone who has studied this and they said that the bags are spit in the ocean.

It's all the plastic packaging that's the problem...

[SoapBox]

31. I've VERY mixed emotions on this issue...

After hearing all the breathless drama about how bad the bags are...

Before banning or limiting, to make absolutely certain that there are recycling
bins always available...Then, that reusable bags are indeed HEALTHY for the environment(we
now know that many are made with almost toxic materials and ink)...and lastly,

Why the hell are we worrying about this issue now, with SO many really serious issues? So many
I'm not sure where to start.

Oh, here's an issue...China just gave Pakistan 50 fighter jets! I would say THAT is an issue.

[gauguin57]

35. I use canvas bags and other kinds of reusable bags. BUT ...

... I get some plastic bags, too, because I 1) need them to line some of my trash cans 2) give the extra ones to my friend for her dog's poop. How will pet owners pick up their dogs' poop without plastic grocery bags? Some people will say they use used coffee cups to scoop the poop. Sorry, but yuck. If you're on a two-mile walk with the dog, you don't want to have to carry poop in a cup all that way. Gross.

[sakabatou]

38. But what will i pick up dog poo with?

:rofl:

[dipsydoodle]

39. Once upon a time

there were no plastic carrier bags.

Angry retailers would lose advertising opportunities......tough.

[calendargirl]

48. They should ban smoking.

Plastic bags are far more gauche than the toxins in cigarettes, though.

[cstanleytech]

49. I might oppose an outright ban

as they do have their use such as when you are transporting something like fresh meat from the store but a tax makes sense imo especially if it encourages people to use cloth bags not to mention paper bags which can be recycled and atleast are biodegradable.

[makhno]

51. Let's screw the working class

"In Ireland, they tried imposing charges on carrier bags. It was a complete failure that only helped to boost supermarket profits.”

The Irish charges came into force in 2002. Retailers are required by law to pass the tax on to shoppers.

I must be part of some monstrous Earth-hating minority here that actually reuses the (so far thankfully free at select stores) plastic bags to collect trash.

[otohara]

53. So many still use plastic

Then an entire bag is used for one pile of dog poo

[Ter]

54. Ban the EU says me

n/t

[krabigirl]

56. I don't like bans, but i also don't like plastic bags :). My city wants to ban them, as well.

[KoKo]

62. I definitely would want "plastic bags" out of the environment...but still see that

elderly/disabled might need to use them for their "small purchases."

But, I'd prefer "Paper over Plastic" and a canvas bag for the "small purchses." Still...it's such a small amount of elderly who need "plastic" or "paper" over "canvas" it might be able to do a big campaigne to educate folks about this issue.

[Matilda]

64. We have Green Bags in Australia

like this one:




(You can get other colours, but they're always called Green Bags.)

It has been suggested that supermarkets and shops should charge a small fee for plastic bags, but while there hasn't been any great outcry about it, politicians have been slow to act.

We use green bags; they last for a couple of years before they start to tear, but we sometimes get plastic bags instead because we use them to carry out the cat's litter. We'd pay for them if we had to - say 10 or 20 cents each.

[Harmony Blue]

65. We have these kind of bags in the U.S. too

Publix, Sweetbay, Winn Dixie, and Walgreens in Florida have made a push to sell these bags. The intial cost for these bags range from $1 to $1.50, but if you use them many times they pay off rather quickly compared to plastic bags which I can confirm are passed onto the customer and the employees at work.

I realize many people use the grocery plastic bags in place of buying the price gouging regular garbage can liners, so I can see that perspective. But from my point of view it would be more efficient to buy garbage can liners from home depot in bulk which can last the entire year, and are far more sturdier.

The best part about these bags is you can fit many items in them, and because the handles are very sturdy, it doesn't require a lot of strength to lift them. The down side is that sometimes trace elements are found in these bags (eg Publix had some batches of reusable bags that had to be destroyed).

Working in retail super market biz I am in favor of the reusable movement. In some places of the E.U. they have bio degradable bags for those that are not aware. Those are pretty cool.

[Matilda]

66. We pay $2 for the green bags here,

which may be why more people don't use them, although as you say, they are cost effective in the end. I would guess there are four or five people using plastic to every one with a green bag here, so I would support shops making a small charge for the plastic ones, in the interests of the environment.

My only problem with the huge amounts that get packed into them is they're too heavy for me to carry, so I always have to redistribute everything when I put them in the car. But we have about eight of them, so it's no great problem.

[U4ikLefty]

67. I have 7 canvas bag & have NEVER paid for one.

I use them constantly.

Hell, here in California they give them away for just about every occasion.

Just throw them in your trunk & viola!!!