The problem with carrier bags

[johnhcrf]

Plastic bags are a favourite of the young and middle-aged. To kick the habit will be difficult but we have to change to sustainable practices. I last used a plastic bag shopping about 2 years ago. Never again!

John.

[ina]

Well, I have a few in the house - some of them are truly ancient, and have been used and re-used umpteen times.... But since I never take one from the shop when I do my shopping, most of them have been brought in with friends delivering stuff...

[johnhcrf]

I am a total ZWP freak, I do not know anybody in my area who is close to that, including family.

John

[red]

I have loads from the bad old days. Makes sense to me that I use them to death, rather than chucking them or something daft.

[johnhcrf]

Red, that is one way to go. If people do not use them at all, they will cease to be commonplace. I take shopping bags everywhere and I get smiles from people who understand.

John.

[red]

mm me too - I have one that folds down small that I carry in my bag, and the cloth one good ol co-op gave out for free

but honestly.. me putting stuff in an old safeways bag to carry my swimming kit (cloth bags are useless with wet swimmies) is not going to have 'the wrong effect' on people

I am making far more change each time I say 'no thanks, I don't need a bag'

[johnhcrf]

They are not totally useless as you rightly point out. My ZWP focus is not perfect but it helps to drive zero bin waste forward.

John.

[Flo]

Trouble is that paper carrier bags cost considerably more than plastic bags for shops. Also they disintegrate in the rain.

As most of the world couldn't give a toss about waste or the environment it seems, plastic bags rule ok for 90% of the consuming world

[johnhcrf]

True Flo, paper bags are less strong but then again their environmental impact is zero (ZWP). Promote old style carrier bags to carry the paper bags. 7 towns in Britain have ditched the plastic bag so far. Why not join them? People will join in the campaign as they will realise the positives of such a move.

[MKG]

Now, John - there you go again. Paper has zero environmental impact? Tell that to the trees.

[Annpan]

Then there is the transportation costs of the heavier paper bags, the glue used in manufacturing and the plastic that the bags are inevitably wrapped in to keep them dry during shipping.

Paper bags are really single use, even an evil plastic carrier can be used 50 times before it begins to fall apart, then it can be recycled.

I think everyone here agrees that it is much better to have material bags that are reused until they fall apart, then composted or turned into something else.

[johnhcrf]

We can live without plastic. In my 52 Weeks bin bag plastic is a minor issue. I like paper because it can reused. Surely that will save trees being cut.

[Mirrie]

Intresting link about bags and the evil SM's-

http://img.thisismoney.co.uk/calculator ... lator.html#

3bn per year???????

[Thomzo]

Hi Beatsworking
How about asking a local school, scouts club or similar to help you collect second hand bags? You could offer to donate a bag of sweets if they collect enough clean carrier bags for you to re-use.

An article in the local paper could also help. "Lcal trader needs your old carrier bags" or something similar. That would be good advertising for you too!

Cheers
Zoe

[pol]

Talking of keeping stuff out of landfill - by making reusable cloth morsbags from cloth that's already been produced (i.e. no new cotton needs to be watered, sprayed with chemicals and transported) as they are made from old duvet covers and stuff that's probably languishing in airing cupboards or lofts - and getting into the habit of remembering to take them to the shops....(much more likely if someone's been 'guerilla'd' by a freebie or put the 15 minute effort into making it themselves), material is being kept out of the ground AND neither plastic nor paper is being used.

To date 24,308 morsbags have been made worldwide, potentially replacing over 12 million plastic bags....have you made one yet? http://www.morsbags.com :D