Paying for carrier bags.

What's happening about home delivery supermarket shopping? That's where a heck of a lot of bags get wasted with just one item in a bag.

We keep a selection of hessian bags and strong polythene bags plus a wine carrier in the boot for supermarket shopping and I keep a couple of cotton or nyl8n bags in my handbag for other shopping.

Hands up whoever has a Modbury shopping bag!

news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/6605435.stm

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/shopping-and-consumer-news/11915704/Sainsburys-uses-legal-loophole-to-keep-part-of-new-5p-charity-charge-for-plastic-bags.html

It would seem from this article that Sainsburys have got rid of flimsy carriers and are only selling thicker,reuseable ones which can be replaced when they wear out - like the Tesco 'bag for life'.

Nothing wrong with that, although they're only charging 5p for them and it says they must charge more than 5p by law.

When I bought clothes from a shop in Australia they were put into a large biodegradable bag made from potato starch. You could then use it for food waste. It still cost 10c.

I do think it is strange, though, that although plastic bags are discouraged in Wales, our Council gives us plastic sacks for our recyclable waste. Presumably they recycle the bags. Must find out.

durhamjen It's the weight of the plastic that counts. It's the flimsy ones the government are trying to get rid of. Most shops have made their bags flimsier and flimsier in recent times in an attempt to look 'green'. (I can't see Sainsbo's suddenly going for thicker carrier bags tbh)

Nelliemoser no you don't, unless you are buying huge quantities. Half a dozen apples,carrots onions etc fit onto the checkout scale very easily. Then straight into your bag.

For years I have been using two bags that roll up very small and go back into my handbag when I unload my shopping.

You do need those very small flimsy bags to put your fruit and veg in to weigh them. I doubt if they charge for them.

I take a basket to the supermarket with me. Into it, without any wrappers, go raw vegetables and fruit. We are told to wash fruit and veg before we eat it anyway (not that I do always). The checkout people think it's 'cute'. I don't do cute but am happy for them to think that.

Pittcity Your link to the regulations is so useful I am repeating it as its gone way down the list of threads .

This extract is the critical bit.

You don’t charge for plastic bags that are:

for uncooked fish and fish products
for uncooked meat, poultry and their products
for unwrapped food for animal or human consumption - for example, chips, or food sold in containers not secure enough to prevent leakage during normal handling
For unwrapped loose seeds, flowers, bulbs, corns, rhizomes (roots, stems and shoots, such as ginger) or goods contaminated by soil (such as potatoes or plants)

www.gov.uk/guidance/carrier-bag-charges-retailers-responsibilities

Nelliemoser you have said exactly what I was thinking. They brought this rule in several years ago here in Malta and we soon got used to bringing our own bags.

Back in the day, my mother always took her own shopping basket with her and even had plastic carrying cases for eggs which were sold loose.

I really can't understand why there is such a song and dance about it

For goodness sakes, what a fuss. We managed quite well in our younger days before the free carrier bag thing took off. I'm sure we can do it again. It's not exactly a civil liberties matter really - is it? The countryside and wildlife will appreciate it, and maybe even our major roads won't look quite so horrendously disgustingly littered.

Our town made a lot of fuss several years ago about going plastic bag free (before a Tesco opened and ruined it all!) and it really hasn't been a problem. We're lucky enough to have quite a few small independent shops. The butchers and fish monger all use white paper wrapping and biodegradable poly bags if necessary so no leaks. The green grocers and bread shops use paper bags and everything goes into the bags for life or hessian bags which we take everywhere. The dress shops all use paper carrier bags like in the old days. What's the problem?

I cannot believe the fuss being made about this by so many.
I have a collection of long use bags. Several from Aldi they use a fabric like garden fleece and have a plastic base which tends to fall out. A bit too flimsy but I still use them. The others are Tesco and Asda polypropalene which seem the most robust. We will all get used to it PDQ. I don't use the very big bags so much as lifting becomes difficult.

I think the answer to sillynanny's question is stop worrying about tiny risks. Seriously, how many people have come down with salmonella or campala bacter (never heard of it) infections because of germs in their shopping bags?

Oh I do believe you - I have seen it on the front page too. I just meant they've got to make it clear that they won't take advantage of the loophole if they don't want to lose even more customers.

Or the Telegraph, at least.

It's in tomorrow's papers, Wilma.

Sainsburys is suffering at the moment, so I can't see them doing anything that's going to lose them more customers. Well I hope not.

Did anyone else see the t.v. Programme that was on recently about the dangers of using some of your bags more than once. Basically what they were saying was that if you buy a chicken (which may or may not be wrapped in plastic) it can leak, usually does, and you then use that bag again for other items you are running the risk of getting salmonella or campalla bacter (really nasty bug). This also applied to other foods that could contaminate some of your other shopping. They did tests on bags that people use and put back in the boot of their cars or handbags until their next shop. It was real scary stuff they we're showing, food for thought, excuse the pun. Even if the bags were washed it still showed traces of contamination! Not sure what the answer is, any suggestions?

I have just heard the most ridiculous thing. Sainsbury's have found a loophole which means they do not have to give money received for the bags to charity if they are thicker bags.
How sick is that.
Hope there's a petition about it.

It's (mainly) just a bit of banter, Jud! Give us another couple of days and we'll be seasoned old bag women.

I'm going to buy a couple more of the fabric fold up bags and start putting them in strategic places. Already got one in my handbag, so maybe will put a spare in the front of my car and DH's car, and a coat pocket or three.

We've got loads of bags we could use, but remembering to take them into the shop will always be a problem for me, so if I don't have a folding bag with me, I'll just pay the 5p.

Is it just plastic bags the new law covers? I was just thinking about the plain brown paper bags (no handles) used for food shopping in the USA. Upmarket clothing shops will find an alternative bag, probably reverting to the lovely thick paper bags of the past.

Does anyone else remember people saying they wouldn't use/pay for supermarket carrier bags because it was free advertising? Changed days.

I wish the turtles, whales and other sea life would start whingeing a bit louder:

plasticisrubbish.com/2009/03/12/sea-turtle-to-eat-plastic-bag/

For goodness sake (I'd use a face palm emoticon if there was one) would you moaners in England ever give over! It isn't that difficult. We in Wales, Scotland, N.Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland and other environmentally aware countries cope fine, including the purchasing of heavy winter coats. Just bring large heavyweight bags when clothes shopping!

In my local dialect: get over yourselves!!

Put on your most haughty voice & give it a try but I don't fancy your chances much