Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

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Is the charge for plastic bags working

I've seen a lot of improvement
5
42%
I've seen some improvement
4
33%
It's still the same as it was
0
No votes
Too early to say
3
25%
 
Total votes: 12

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Richard
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Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by Richard »

Just getting some idea.

Comments would be great.

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wendy
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by wendy »

Not many at the shops now buy a bag.
It shows at the till.
It would ne interesting if Helen notices any difference
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Meanqueen
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by Meanqueen »

I think people made an effort to take their own bags when it first came in, but I think some have slipped back again. I see quite a lot of plastic bags bought at the till.

Ilona
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p.penn
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by p.penn »

There is no doubt that since charging, personally I have noticed a massive decrease in the number of bags used. Of those who buy bags, more people seem to buy 10p 'bags for life' now, rather than the (previously free) 5p ones. The bag for life is much better as a) it's stronger, b) it's bigger and c) when it breaks/tears it is recycled and replaced for free, although I think most buy them purely as they're stronger, and may not reuse them. :?
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Richard
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by Richard »

That's interesting.

I've got into the habit of having a bag for life in the van.

I still forget to take it into a shop though and come out with stuff in my pockets and finely balanced in my arms !

Not so much shopping plastic bags but I reckon on one visit in four to the beach birdwatching I will see a Gull fly past with a plastic bag or wrapperin it's mouth.
Knowing that Gull has probably a few hours, even minutes before it's killed deeply agonises me.

Overall though, it seems to working and is noticeable in Supermarket queues.

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Mo
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by Mo »

trouble is, plastic bags SEEM to be the answer to problems. Not the plastic carriers (can use a cloth bag) so much as the bag that stops the fish or meat leaking over the sugar, that keeps the bread fresh in the freezer, or lines the rubbish bin. But when they tear (or fall into lttle bits of snow - GRRRR!!!) they get thrown away even if you wash and reuse until then.
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by albertajune »

I think that all the people that I know, take their bags with them to shop. I rarely see them bought in the supermarket but I expect that they are s till sold. On a regular basis, I used to see bags littering the hedgerows that had been blown from the transport that used to empty the bin that contained used. Haven't seen this eyesore for months, so hopefully that means that people are not using the plastic bag in no where near the same number as before.

As for the sea birds and their like Richard. I think that plastic that is used in food packaging is more of a problem than the shopping bag. So much of it is washed up and left on beaches. It is amazing how much is left behind when the tide goes out again. I think as far as the environment goes, the government should be looking at the manufacturers of foodstuffs to do their bit.
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lancashire lass
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by lancashire lass »

I notice that people generally bring their own bags to the supermarket - I go on a Saturday morning when most people like me are doing a big shop for the week rather than a few items mid-week so taking bags is more of a habit than making a special effort.

As I no longer walk round the local park since losing my dog, I can't say if things have improved. The problem back then though was not so much the cheap plastic bags but other litter - crisp packets and plastic pop bottles discarded by the pupils going to the nearby primary & secondary schools. The local council made an enormous effort to keep the litter down as the park won a few awards but with cut backs, I think most likely the litter problem will just creep right back.
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manda
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by manda »

OK so warning this is one of my pet peeves ...so it's not going to be short )w(

The main point with this issue is governments KNOW plastic doesn't degrade in landfill and yet they still allow them but what to replace them with. It's simple ban them....or is it?. Whilst there are places that have started their own initiatives at a local level either through local government or people or businesses.
- San Francisco have banned plastic bags full stop in large markets and pharmacies.
- All Ikea stores in the US charge for plastic bags and they reckon it's stopped their use by around 50%.... it's not as if people have stopped shopping there.
- Modbury in Devon stopped (as a town) using bags after a campaign by one woman who just approached individual stores to stop - ironically not government led.

Ban them completely? Governments are meant to be serving the people and doing what's best for society ...landfills full of stuff that's not going to biodegrade that could easily be removed from the equation is not serving society in he best way so get rid of them but there's more than that to consider. They talk a lot about doing something but as with most things environmental action is slow.

We have a wheelie bin at home (now this might not seem like a huge deal to you in the UK (I always took it for granted growing up in the UK.. but in rural NZ this is a treat !!
We don't use plastic bags to get rid of our rubbish ...we have 2 small bins in the kitchen which we tip straight into the wheelie bin and wash out when they're emptied - it's not hard to do after all but some would be horrified at having to do this.

When we go shopping we use the boxes that are at the store - whilst I don't like they're there they are unpacked by the staff when they're stacking the shelves so they are never going away but at least in this way they are getting reused...and then we flatten them and use them to add fuel to the fire in the woodburner (our only source of heat in our house).
We've also got a chilly bin which stays in the boot of the car so any meat (we don't grow our own chickens for food) and frozen stuff goes in there. So we try not to use too many boxes either.

I do realise that not everyone's going to be in the position to use boxes if say for example your supermarket doesn't put them out for people to use as ours does....personally I think supermarkets should ban or be required to ban single use plastic bags completely and make reusable canvas bags available instead - they are the way to go at least in the first instance. Don't make plastic one use bags available at all.

The plastic bag issue very much depends on what environmental viewpoint you are coming from. Say from an energy standpoint, there was Australian study that concluded that canvas bags are 14 times better than plastic bags and 39 times better than paper bags (because whilst they degrade well so their impact after their use has expired is better but the energy required to produce them is huge and so their impact on climate change is significant). - mind you the study is making the assumption that canvas bags get a good workout and are used 500 times during their life cycle - but maybe if people had to pay a little more again for a strong reusable bag they might remember to take it with them like our grannies did.
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Richard
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by Richard »

Thank you Manda, that is a fantastic eye opening post and interesting to read from a New Zealanders view on it.

Just shows how much more can be done and a different look on saving our environment.

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Meanqueen
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by Meanqueen »

Yes, I agree on banning plastic bags completely. My own shopping bags are eight years old, I made them out of a gazebo roof which had been dumped at the end of a caravan show. I made ten bags and gave four away to friends.

I make fabric shopping bags and give them away, usually when I am in Tes & co. People are surprised when I say I don't want anything for them. They are chuffed, I like giving a surprise. I hope they go on to use them many times, my fabric bags are washable. They are dead easy to make, use a 10p bag for life as a template and copy it.

Ilona
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manda
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by manda »

)like(
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Re: Litter - Is the charge for plastic bags working ? POLL

Post by wendy »

Meanqueen wrote:Yes, I agree on banning plastic bags completely. My own shopping bags are eight years old, I made them out of a gazebo roof which had been dumped at the end of a caravan show. I made ten bags and gave four away to friends.

I make fabric shopping bags and give them away, usually when I am in Tes & co. People are surprised when I say I don't want anything for them. They are chuffed, I like giving a surprise. I hope they go on to use them many times, my fabric bags are washable. They are dead easy to make, use a 10p bag for life as a template and copy it.

Ilona



and they are beautiful as well. Thank you for mine x
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