to think retailers have some responsibity?

Why don't shops use biodegradable bags?

I don't know Jane10, in Australia your clothes will be put into one of those bags made out of potato starch in one well-known chain - the type of bag you get to put your food waste in only much larger.

A manufacturer of biodegradable bags was on the news tonight and pointed out that we still use plastic bin liners etc.

ps you still have to pay for the bags, though!

Oh no, I thought it was such a good idea when I was in Australia last year, but looks as if they have caved in unfortunately:

theconversation.com/targets-plastic-bag-backdown-a-loss-for-the-silent-majority-18794

the Queen mentioned it in her speech

If I don't have a biodegradable plastic supermarket bag to put my rubbish in [which is what I do most of the time] I'll use a plastic bin bag [which isn't biodegradable?].

In answer to your OP, Jane10, I do think retailers have a responsibility to the environment as well as to their customers and the charge for plastic bags is a big step forward. Their usage has been reduced by (I think) 79% in Wales since 2011, and it is now second nature to take a bag or two folded up in my handbag, and to always take the hessian bags out of the boot when food shopping.

They also need to reduce the amount of packaging on food items as well.

I recently crocheted a string bag for a friend's birthday present - good for carrying a bottle of wine in but not sure it would work for clothing.
Another friend's daughter asked if things fall out the holes - she had never seen a string bag, which made me realise how much shops rely on plastic bags these days. What were clothes wrapped in before plastic carrier bags came out? Brown paper and string? Queues could get quite long in clothes shops as our purchases are wrapped up.

The supermarkets were the ones responsible for our changing from using our own shopping bags all those years ago. All in the interests of advertising. Clothes and non food items did used to be either given in brown cardboard carrier bags or were indeed wrapped in brown paper and string. I well remember my years in a large dept store in the 1970s being taught how to produce good string carrying handles on parcels I had to wrap in tissue and brown paper. All included in the cost.
I think its OK for people to use their own bags for food shopping but clothes should be wrapped at the retailers` expense: why not use paper bags/carriers? Why do they have to charge for these too? I`m still outraged. Am off to turn my, already carefully saved, plastic carriers inside out before going shopping!

You can avoid some charges (on the rare occasion of, course, when you have forgotten your fold away bag) by going through the self service checkouts and clicking on "no bags". Does anyone voluntarily pay for a flimsy carrier bag?

Yes, I know it's for charity but won't be dictated to by the likes of Marks and Sparks.

I'm in Scotland & we have been warned that new law for bags was coming in this week. I've been using own bags for supermarkets for a while now.
Not so easy for some of the other shopping though. You would have to carry such a wide selection of sizes & quantities to be able to do this.
I went xmas shopping yesterday & I took a couple of bags with me. However these were woefully inadequate as a visit to the newly opened toy shop proved. Some things are just too large/awkward to fit in average bags.

It has been many years since we paid for bags here in Belguim, but clothes except in the larger Hypermarkets always come in a bag, I just assume the shops include the cost in the purchase and it is advertisisng for them. I have had dirty looks when I put one shops bag inside anothers.
The only place you still get bags are the markets or the corner shops, but even our 'open all hours' one on the corner always ask if you want a bag.
There are 2 standards of bags for sale in the supermarkets, one at 10 cents, and one at 50, they are good quality and it just becomes a habit to take a bag.

jinglbellsfrocks there is no requirement for shops to pass on the bag charges to charity! Nice eh? this is just badly thought through legislation.

The one shop which charges a lot for a bag is Waterstones, but they charge a lot for everything !!!!

Jane10, it's funny, but I read your title totally the opposite way. I do feel the retailers DO have a responsibility, to cut down packaging waste as much as poss- and that we should support them. Bio-degradable bags are made out of maize- and it takes 1000s and 1000s of acres of land, fertilisers, etc, to produce, so not that good really.

Where I live, supermarkets sell re-usable paper bags- but I always take my own heavy gauge bags for food shopping- and I have 2 large cloth bags which I wash from time to time for clothes shopping- easy peasy.

Kitty, the thought of John Lewis wrapping glasses with lots of bags seems so daft and wasteful- why don't they use tissue paper???

I used to get funny looks and even been told it was not allowed to buy M&S and other clothes without using their bag- but I always insisted and said I'd keep the receipt handy if stopped by store security.

So, am I really the only odd bod who thinks it is a good idea- and that nuch more effort should be done to cut packaging as much as poss. As Kitty said, some on-line pruchases have packaging 10x or more the size of the product- which then has to be filled with lots of bubble wrap and other plastics- at least they could use filler made out of recycled card, etc.

I imagine security staff are going to be run off their feet!
I have lots of cloth bags that I use for shopping - no freebies here in France for some while.
If I were to go to an M&S for clothes on a visit to UK, then I might be inclined to take some brown paper and string with me, and wrap and tie at the till. Might be moved on sharpish, but would love to give it a try just the once.
I expect M&S will come up with some form of stick on tape with red SOLD lettering to stick on - made of some kind of plastic compound, naturally.

No Granjura, I think it is a great idea, and have been using re-cyclable bags for years now. It is very much encouraged here. Depending on the type of shopping i am doing I just take the most suitable bag with me. I do accept the little pharmacy bags at the moment as I use them as nappy sacks for DGS.

DH suggested we take a rival store's bag with us and tout that around the shop.

I doubt whether they'd care!

Honestly, some of you seem to think retailers are charging for bags just to spite you!

The various governments involved have brought in this policy and it seems to have been operating smoothly in Wales since 2011 and N. Ireland since last year. As far as I know there hasn't been a sudden increase in shoplifting...

Treetime, I do that all the time. 1 of my cloths bags for clothes shopping is actually an M&S one- and I take it everywhere. For food shopping, I have 2 from Tescos, 2 from hyperU, 1 from Cecil Jacobs, 2 from Migros and 1 from Swiss Coop and one from UK coop- don't care!

Oh and 1 Waitrose- sufficient for the largest of family food shop.

Could you take a garment that got soiled on the way home and complain because it wasn't adequately packaged by the retailer. If it happens to me I will leave the items on the counter and go home and order on line.

Even in France, where it must be nearly a decade since the supermarkets stopped providing plastic bags, if you turn up at the till with clothing the assistant will put your garment in a small very flimsy plastic bag to protect it.

I always have two cloth bags in my handbag, but I would not want to put unwrapped cloting in either of them. Since I am an infrequent clothing buyer I am certainly not carrying an extra bag dedicated entirely to clothiong.

I am a little disabled and find it convenient to shop for heavy groceries on line for delivery every two weeks, These inevitably come in plastic bags - usually about ten of them.

When I did my own shopping I had two heavy duty trolley liners and seldom needed a plastic bag.

If I have to pay for the bags I will but it seems a little unfair when I have no choice. I also re-use them as pedal bin liners,

Interesting to read the Australian link posted above. I must reiterate that I`m quite happy to bring my own food shopping bags but think that clothes should be placed in bags by the retailer. The bags could be biodegradable (all sorts available) or paper. Its simply not acceptable to me to have to subsidise the retailer`s provision of packaging. Wait till this badly thought through legislation hits England!