Carrier Bags!

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Mrs Muggleton

Carrier Bags!

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Established Tree

Posts: 4557

16-05-08 12:46

Established Tree

Our town has a real bee in its bonnet at the moment about plastic carrier bags! There's a big stand on the town square today, where Sainsburys and Veolia are giving away free cotton shopping bags. I now have about 10 of these things and I must admit I do use them all the time.

Is your town the same, is it a UK-wide campaign?
Do you use carrier bags?

On edit: As we are a multi-national site ... is it a worldwide campaign?

Last Edited By: Mrs Muggleton 16-05-08 14:10. Edited 1 time.

PauleneS

#1

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Established Tree

Posts: 6373

16-05-08 13:29

Calendar Coordinator

Co-op has stopped them here. The others are catching on gradually.
I found it hard to remember at first. Got the bags as far as the utility room, and that was it.
Now I am remembering to put them in the car.
Must admit, packing is far easier in the hard bottom mesh bags you get in Asda etc.

cheap as chips

#2

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Established Tree

Posts: 6924

16-05-08 13:55

Established Tree

I use the big shoppers from Sainsburys. Dont use carrier bags unless I can help it. I keep mine in the car boot and a cotton bag in my handbag, so Ive always got one with me. Any spare plastic bags I use for bin liners

Laura Penstemon

#3

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Established Tree

Posts: 9176

16-05-08 14:31

Established Tree

I really TRY and remember to take bags, but I often 'pop in' to shops and forget them

Pens

LynneBee

#4

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Posts: 6335

16-05-08 14:45

Established Tree

We have BIG paper carrier bags as well as buying cotton bags and 3 square bags which you can put in the boot and empty the shopping direct from the trolley, I use the paper bags until they split, then I use them as either fire lighters in the winter or pop into the recycling dumpster

Saph5

#5

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Posts: 8725

16-05-08 15:04

M&S were giving away bags for life with so much purchased, when they start to get tatty you can change them free of charge, otherwise you pay for carriers. Morrisons haven't taken it up yet, but it is on the cards.

Christine Ann

#6

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Posts: 18483

16-05-08 15:17

Quiz Coordinator

We've taken our own shopping bags to the supermarket ever since we were married 28 years ago. So why is it that now everybody else is getting on to the bandwaggon we frequently forget them.

I also wonder what people will do when they no longer have supermarket plastic bags to use in their rubbish bins - buy some specially?

A few weeks ago Morrisons were giving away huge 'for life' plastic bags when you bought The Mail newspaper. However the bags are too big to carry around easily so tend to get left in the boot and only remembered when we come to put the shopping away.

I also wonder what happens to the old 'for life' plastic bags - do they eventually biodegrade or are they simply added to landfill by the supermarkets?

MINTY1

#7

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Flowering Annual

Posts: 347

16-05-08 15:40

I still have a massive heap of flattened (they take up less room that way) Tesco carrier bags under the sink that I re-use each week in Tesco and also use them as bin bags, why waste money buying black bags just for rubbish if a carrier will do.

I also have a fabric Tesco and M&S bag that have been given to me over the years, so I fill them first before re-using the carriers.

Tesco of course give you green points for each one you re-use and at Sainbury they say well done for bringing your own bags but give no actual incentive points.

Julia

Kitty58

#8

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16-05-08 17:19

Auctioneer
Jigsaw Coordinator

I use 'lifer' bags most of the time but occassionally forget and have to get a plasuic carrier. It's put to good use after though.. for dirty cat lit or picking up dog poo

BusyBee

#9

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Flowering Annual

Posts: 196

16-05-08 17:50

Flowering Annual

Here in France most of the supermarkets don't give plastic bags anymore. You have to buy a re-usable one, but then they will give you a new one when it's worn out (I haven't needed one yet and it's 4 years on). Also you get promotions and they give away the bigger strong bags that are great provided you don;t overfill them. I always keep some in the boot of the car and usually a folding crate too, so even if I forget to take bags in with me to the shop, I can unload the trolley into them. I do miss having enough old bags to use for rubbish - I have to buy recycled plastic bags for that!

Belinda the busy bee

scissorhands

#10

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Herbaceous Perennial

Posts: 438

16-05-08 18:06

Flowering Annual

We use boxes and "for life" carriers for the supermarket shopping. Any carriers we get otherwise are recycled as bin bags. We used loads in the plant sale today so will get rid of some more over the weekend

Lass

#11

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Mature Shrub

Posts: 2602

16-05-08 18:27

Mature Shrub

I keep three large bags in the boot of my car but often don't remember they're there until it's time to pack the shopping! I expect I'll get more used to remembering as time goes by. I do like to get a few plastic bags to use as bin liners cos otherwise I'd have to buy them and that seems silly. Tescos give extra clubcard points if you take your own bags and other places have started charging for bags. I suppose it all helps.

Lass x

eileen

#12

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Established Tree

Posts: 12371

16-05-08 19:01

Established Tree

I have a stack of old carrier bags that get used as bin liners, for weeds and for shoe covers when it's muddy. Once they burst I put them into a plastic recycle bin. I use eco-friendly bags for my shopping as they are stronger and last for ages.

Laura Penstemon

#13

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Posts: 9177

16-05-08 19:33

Established Tree

Just popped into the co-op on me way home from strimming a very wet jungle and they now do compostable carrier bags (yes I forgot mine AGAIN!!), at a cost of 6p each. Bargain, just stick 'em in the green wheelie bin when finished with!

Ann

#14

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Flowering Annual

Posts: 245

16-05-08 23:02

I have boxes and cotton bags from various places. I keep mine in the boot of the car.
Some of the thin cotton bags fit in my coat pocket or handbag. As aI work in a supermarket I tend to keep a few in my locker as well.
Ann

MacT1

#15

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Posts: 13808

16-05-08 23:53

I have several bags in the boot of my car but often forget them when I go into the shops but if food shopping I just load everything back into the trolley and put them into bags back at the car . Tescos give me points for doing that and also if I do a shop on line I always tick no carrier bags only when necessary for which I get points as well.
I have taken to carrying a Lakeland fold up bag plus a cotton one in my handbag for any other shopping I am likely to do . Carrier bags get recycled at car boot sales and coffee mornings and occasionally for bins. I have just discovered small bin plastic bin bags which are biodegradable within a very few weeks . Presumable they do large bin bags as well.
Somerfields are going to stop free carrier bags soon as are Marks and Spencers and a few of our small local shops and frequently now I get asked if I want a carrier bags for a few small items where once they would have just put them in a bag for you.

mammaj

#16

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Posts: 2692

17-05-08 07:08

Mature Shrub

We pay for our plastic bags but I never just throw them away, they're always used for the rubbish bin, as CA said it's daft to then have to go & buy bin bags! I noticed there are shopping bags on sale in some supermarkets but they cost around 2.50 euro so they can keep them! The bags that drive me potty are the little ones you're given for small items in specialist shops! They're of no use whatsoever once you're home. The UK is doing far more than Italy for landfill in general. I've been recycling plastic, glass etc., for a while but because I chose to, not because of any obbligation & many people don't do so as they say it's all chucked in the tip anyway!

Scotty996

#17

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Herbaceous Perennial

Posts: 661

17-05-08 07:49

Flowering Annual

Supermarkets in Spain still use the plastic carrier bag. There is very little recycling here as you do not have your own dustbin. There are large industrial weelie bins dotted around at the side of the road and everyone throws their rubbish into them. The only recycle bins that I have seen are in the large towns.

BusyBee

#18

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Flowering Annual

Posts: 198

17-05-08 10:00

Flowering Annual

Here in France, unless you live in town, there is no rubbish collection.

So you have to take your rubbish to one of the many places where they have large wheelie bins. But they have 3 sorts - general rubbish, glass and recycling. You can put all your plastic, paper, cardboard, cans in the recycling and it gets sorted later.

We get a newsletter 2 or 3 times a year to say how we're doing on the recycling front. I think this is excellent.

There are a few people who just leave all their rubbish beside the bins, rather than putting it in, but maybe they are too old and feeble to lift the lid.

Belinda the busy bee

PaulineM

#19

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20-05-08 10:19

Retired Auctioneer

Generally if you want a bag here you have to buy it. But there's one supermarket that has never, as long as I can remember, supplied bags at all, not even for sale. They do, however, have a place where they leave all the empty cardboard boxes so that customers can use them. Makes sense to me.

We have three of those rigid typical supermarket plastic 'baskets' that you put on a double-decker trolley and then straight into the car (that simple if you do self-scan and don't have one of the occasional spot-checks). It is possible to get three of them in the back of a Smart, though two is easier.

Don't know what you do with the plastic baskets if they eventually give out. I reckon they should last a good few more years yet, though.

But why does a little cynic inside me keep thinking that this latest supermarket trend has nothing to do with the environment, and an awful lot to do with a new way of making extra profits...?